Drabble Corner
by Dark Austral
Summary: Angst, drama, corruption, action, AUs, maybe even a pinch of romance in these crazy musings of Robin. Slade probably will become a regular and who knows, maybe Red X or Batman might swing in sometime.
1. TrickorTreat

**Disclaimer: **Even on Halloween, the Titans have to their fun. Maybe they can scare DC and Cartoon Network to make me own them, cause I wish I did.

**A/N: **Hi everyone! I know, I know, I'm suppose to be writing my other story Mens Rae, but I can't help it if other ideas pop into my head. I've got a few written up, but you guys are more than welcome to suggest ideas. I am so open to requests, otherwise this might be a short lived thing. Also, I don't know when I'll be updating this, so don't expect weekly chapters. Anywho, I thought I would open this collection with a Halloween theme snippet, since it is Halloween pretty much.

**Trick-or-Treat**

"_This has got to be the most stupidest thing ever_," groaned Robin's mind as he leaned against the cold metal fence. The small suburban home, with its' white exterior and blue shutters was bit overdone with Halloween decorations. The orange, red and yellow leaves littered the grass and sidewalk leading up the front door. Across the yard, tiny gravestones sought to create a spooky atmosphere. A skeleton was sitting upright from one gravestone; it's red eyes glowing straight ahead, the gravestone reading "One-Eye Bill. Be careful where you stare."

The front door was covered with cobwebs and spiders pretending to climb down to attack the unsuspecting kids. A bubbling cauldron was spewing dry ice and a witch's cackle was emitting from somewhere in the bushes. A group of kids ran by him yelling and laughing. They were dressed in the typical pirate, Star Wars Jedi and ghost outfits.

All down the street, kids ran from house to house to collect boatloads of candy. The crisp autumn air was on the verge of sending white flakes down from the sky, due to the rose colored clouds in the sky. The streets were busy behind him, with pedestirans and cars. Parents who opted to drive their kids from street to street, would park in the middle of the street, letting the kids jump out of the car when a new row of houses appeared and then jumping back in so their small little fingers didn't freeze off.

He should of thought of that before being dragged kicking and screaming to go Trick-or-Eating with the Titans, well act like the parent to three childish forms of Cyborg, Beastboy and Starfire. Robin should have guessed the moment he stepped out the shower only in a towel, that the raiding of his closet was leading to this.

Somehow the threesome had broken into his room and stole all his extra uniforms. Before he could argue, Raven had already called dibs on staying back at the Tower to hand out candy to any Trick-or-Treaters. Next thing, he knew he was assigned to take Starfire, Beastboy and Cyborg out into the neighborhoods, acting as their chaperon. With no uniforms left, he was opting for the single pair of civilian clothes he had, but Starfire and Beastboy had given him the puppy-dog eyes on dressing-up.

Still rattled by the chaos of the change of events, Robin frowned not knowing what to wear. He could call Speedy up and ask a uniform from him, but that would involve explaining the situation to his red-hair clone. And if anything, Robin wanted to contain the situation of three Titans being Robin for Halloween and him clad in a towel top-secret, 'not-leaving-the-Tower' confidential information. So, that left only one outfit left in his closet, which was locked away in a trunk deep in the recesses of his closet.

The door of the house opened, revealing a cheery housewife dressed up as a female vampire, but keeping it a PG version. She clapped her hands and laughed at Starfire, Beastboy and Cyborg who all had huge black trash bags held out. "How cute! All three of you are Robins. That is sooo sweet! Honey, grab the camera! Oh?"

Robin cringed as the woman's perfect vision narrowed on him. Three kids walked up the sidewalk with a tall, broad built man behind him. One boy had a pair of goggles on and metal legs protruding from his back, but the red-hourglass on his shirt made the costume a complete spider outfit. Next to him, a shaggy hair boy grinned, revealing the fangs of a vampire. Lastly, a pink hair girl giggled, adjusting her hat while twirling her broomstick.

"Nice costume," snickered spider boy as the threesome walked up to the Titans. Robin groaned and smacked himself in the head. This night was getting worse and worse.

The man joined him leaning on the fence, the agitation of being dragged from house to house radiating off of him. The woman caught the man's costume and shrieked before bolting into the house. But a second later, she popped her head out and winked at the Trick-or-Treaters, "Hang on and I'll give you extra candy." The howl of laughter vibrated the chilly air.

"She better not be doing what I think she is doing," snarled the man. "I'm in a bad mood already."

"Join the club," muttered Robin.

The man peered down at the boy and his eye couldn't help but widen with shock. Before him was a shivering Robin, the _real_ Robin, arms crossed across his chest, teeth clenched in anger. Slade couldn't help but take in the boy's costume, biting his lower lip to hold back the laughter. Robin was dressed in his old uniform, his eyes only outlined by a lenses-free mask. It would have drawn too much attention to him if he ran around with a complete mask. Besides, it was Halloween and he had placed contacts in his eyes to hide his midnight-blue eyes to black. Pixie boots, short green shorts, the red-breasted tunic and the tiny puffs of green sleeves and the yellow cape completed the classic uniform. Thankfully, his hair was still spiked and not containing the two little curls. Coughing, Slade turned and watched the Hive members unknowingly interact with the Titans-who to his surprise and disgust where dressed up in Robin's modern uniform.

"Too many Robins, don't you think."

Robin scoffed and was about to snarl a quick comeback on how idiotic the notion was when he stopped and took in the man's costume. A gray eye glanced down questionably at Robin, the other hole blending in with what appeared to be a patch. Despite the single eye, the man was almost a spit image of Batman. The black cowl with pointy-ears, the etch of a bat on his chest, the gloved hands, even the square jaw and frown was way too familiar for Robin's tastes.

"Good costume."

"Same here." Slade couldn't help but grin at seeing Robin twitch. Oh he knew all right that it was his Robin. It was easy to pinpoint Starfire, Beastboy and Cyborg in the crowd and who else would hang out with the trio if not their leader.

Narrowing his eyes, Robin scolded, "So, why are you out here? Don't seem eager to be out, freezing. Lost a bet?" The smirk sent his way made Slade chuckled softly before his eye focused on the three Hive members.

Bitter resentment answered. "You can say that." And it was true. Slade had contacted the new headmaster of the Hive and had asked permission to employ their three top students, which were predictably Jinx, Gizmo and Mammoth. But in exchange, he had to take the three villains out for Halloween. Thankfully, the Hive members did not know of the deal or that the most feared villain in Jump City was escorting them. At first, Slade was reluctant. But then it hit him. He could test his new costume amongst the public. And thus, he agreed, collecting any data people sent his way at seeing a Batman, and testing it against Robin was a bonus. Not to mention certain improvements such as making the string around his neck that held up the cape rest not so uncomfortable against his throat. How the Bat and Robin handled the hazards of the cape was beyond him? It seemed futile to have a piece of cloth hanging of one's neck.

Robin seemed to accept the reply.

"You?" Slade sent a grin, might as well enjoy a simple conversation with his favorite superhero that did not involve curses or fists.

"Caught off guard."

Slade was about to say something when the housewife popped out of nowhere. "SMILE!" With that, the woman took a picture of the Dynamic Duo, catching the superhero and supervillian totally off-guard. "Thank you!" Skipping back into the house, she hid her camera away immediately and poured candy into all waiting six bags.

Robin and Slade remained standing still, blinking away the tiny dots caused by the bright light of a flash. Robin was the first to recover, use to all the attention. Blinking rapidly, he clenched his fist and hissed with irritation, "She so not better post that picture on the net."

Slade shook his head, feeling that same irritation as his one-time apprentice. "If she is, she is dead."

"FRIEND ROBIN! We are off to the next house of haunting!"

"COME ON DUDE!"

"Oh man, she even gave us king size bars. I LOVE this house!"

Starfire, Cyborg and Beastboy bolted off to the left, down the direction Slade and the Hive had come from. Robin couldn't help but whimper and hang his head in defeat. He could handle his friends, but it was late at night, he was freezing, humiliated beyond belief and now they were going to get a sugar rush from all the candy. Raven was going to have to pay him back in full.

Slade saw the defeat in Robin. His evil streak flared to life and for once he was willing to blow his cover, just to rub in the defeat in the boy's face. But then the Hive members decided to make their entrance.

"Hehehe, I'm so gonna hack into that woman's computer, steal that picture and gonna post it on Myspace and YouTube."

"Yum, Snickers."

"Ugh, this is so hopeless. For once, I would like NOT to get candy with peanut in it. I'm allergic, for crying loud!"

Gizmo, Mammoth and Jinx stared into their own large trash bags as they made their way to the right of the pair, away from the Titans. Slade sent his most chilling stare after the trio, wanting to beat the children into a pulp. Here he was taking the ungrateful brats out trick-or-treating, dressed up as his most hated enemy, biting back chocks when little kids accidentally pulled or stepped on his cape. In the mist of all his humiliation, all they were doing was whining about not getting the right candy.

Pulling out his dark musings of what he would do to them, he felt a small pat on his arm. Gazing down, he saw Robin sending a smirk, his eyes shining with total understanding. "Good luck, sir."

Dropping his arm, Robin began to walk off to join his friends, who were now two houses down. Slade reached out and grabbed Robin's shoulder. He felt the boy tense underneath, ready to spring into action. Turning his head, Slade waited till those black eyes gazed up at his mask face. Saluting Robin, Slade smirked coldly. "Hang in there yourself, soldier."

With nothing more to say, Slade let his hand drift away from Robin's shoulder and began to walk away, raising his hand to readjust his cap that once again started to choke him.

"Keep your shoulders hunched a bit forward and take long strides to keep the wind blowing underneath," shouted out Robin.

Slade waved his hand as a sign of thanks. "Keep running in place, and cover your chest with your arms and maybe you won't freeze to death."

He heard a soft chuckle before Robin turned and walked in the opposite direction. Alone now, Slade thought that maybe he should do this next Halloween. He could test the damn costume out again and maybe run into Robin. He so did like their small conversation mused Slade as he hunched his shoulders forward a bit.

Eerily, Robin rushed to join his friends. The man was nice to talk to and despite him being an exact copy of Batman, he could relate to the man way easier and that made the night more bearable. Maybe this whole thing wasn't such a waste grinned Robin as he hugged his chest.

-----

A/N: So there we go. The first drabble. And Happy Halloween to everyone. Like I said, if you have any suggestions or need to get rid of some plot bunnies. Send them my way! Take care!


	2. Giants

Disclaimer: I don't own the Titans, but Sariel tis mine.

A/N: So, recently I reread my stories Truth in the Dark and Death's New Heir and had this huge, sudden urge to write a little snippet for it. For those of you haven't read it, pretty much Slade turned Robin into a criminal/apprentice named Reaper. At the end of the story arc, Reaper is pretty much a supervillain and has broken his apprenticeship by throwing Slade in jail. He also takes in a young girl named Sariel as his apprentice. That's pretty much it. The story takes place sometime after Death's New Heir.

Giants

A shadow darted across the rooftops, her footsteps barely making any sounds across the tiles. The black uniform hug tightly to her frame, the deep blood red outline of dragon wings reflected softly off her back from the moonlight. It was one of those rare times that Sariel wore her official apprentice outfit. Thick brown hair was tied up into a bun, a few strands covering the masked eyes. She, like her master, did not like the tight material but unlike her master, who despised it due to past times, she felt vulnerable…exposed to the whole world. Then again her master's black and gray uniform radiated a deadly pose while she emitted a delicate violence. A whizzing sound pierced the air. Sariel leapt to the side, throwing an obsidian blade straight into the heart of one of her chasers. The figure spasmodically spurted, the orange circle head sparking little flames of electricity.

Out of nowhere, a blast shattered the tile at her feet, sending shards into her face. Flicking out with her wrist, a thin metal cord latched itself around another robot. Jerking, she secured the whip as she lost her balance and fell off the roof. The robot realized what she intended but it was too late. Thrown over the side, the robot latched itself quickly on the edge, its' claws straining from the weight of the woman. Sariel grinned and dropped lightly onto the ground, pulling out her gun. With one shot, she ended the robot's life. With a quick tug, the whipcord returned back to its' master. But before it could be completely wound up, Sariel spun on her heel lashing it out at the man's throat, letting the whip wrap around his forearm. Sariel didn't waste a moment and leapt into attack mode.

Pulling on the whip to aid her thrust, Sariel delivered a kick to his head. Expecting him to block, Sariel continued her flip, wrapping the lose cord around her own wrist. Landing, Sariel planted her feet hard on the ground, her free hand pulling out a long black blade. Pulling hard, she made the man lose enough balance to drive her dagger deep into the man's gut. As the man fell onto his knees, she loosened the whip placing it back onto her belt. Eyes narrowed as she withdrew the blade noticing the lack of a certain red substance.

Narrowing her masked eyes, Sariel let her voice echo in the ally. "What do you want?' She kept her gaze on the body of the one-eyed robot, keeping her voice steady.

The actual man stepped out of the shadows. The orange of his uniform took on a dusky glow, the single gray eye studying her intently. "I merely wanted to watch."

"You mean evaluate."

She could feel the man smirk. "Maybe."

Turning, Sariel faced the man with no indication of the shivers that were creeping down her spine. The man crossed his arms behind his back, circling her like a coyote. Sariel kept her gaze on him as she continued. "The answer is no."

"And how is that you know what the question is?"

"Why else would you send them." It wasn't a question as she tilted her head towards the robot replica of the man.

"Maybe it was to kill you."

"Then you wouldn't bother watching."

"So what are you saying?"

"Test."

The man stopped pacing in front of the girl, his side facing her. Sariel etched the silhouette in her mind. The man was definitely a fighter; with a large frame meaning he was a long time fighter and had strength on his side. The rigid stance signified someone of a military history meaning this guy knew how to kill a person multiple ways. And the way he stood, the slight tilting of his chin upwards signified this man was confident and was sure of any event, leading to the only two things: the guy was arrogant and he was skilled. Probably beyond her level, but Sariel knew that she had to fight her way out. This man wanted to watch her and that meant more than just on the sidelines.

Turning his head downwards at an angle, she barely made out the single eye. Yep, she was right, definitely the eye of a professional killer. She knew that her master would scoff at her deep, almost psychological thinking but it helped her evaluate her opponent. She didn't have her master's knack of reading body language or his skill of just heading off into a fight, while reading his opponent on the spur of the moment. She liked to plan ahead, test the waters before diving.

Shifting to face her, the man let amusement shine in his eye. "Interesting. So unlike that flamboyant tongue of that Master of yours."

Eyes snapping wide, Sariel barely had time to leap into the air as a kick flew underneath her feet. Twisting her body, she landed hard in a squat before sprinting towards the opening of the ally. This guy was fast, lighting fast. Up there with her Master, and the ferocity…

Skidding to halt, she crossed her arms blocking the full on fist of the man. Yet the force sent her flying into the wall. Body snapping back, she fell onto the ground shaking the stars from her head. Ducking two fists flew above her head, slamming into the wall. Grabbing the wrists, she pulled herself up enough to slam one foot in the man's lower abdomen while the other flew towards the area between his legs. Her master didn't like the fact that Sariel tended to fight dirty, but she didn't care. He didn't understand what it was like for a girl in this profession, not to mention that she didn't feel like getting the crap beaten out of her from this man before switching to such tactics. By then it would be too late.

Shock lit the man's eyes and it seemed that her opponent hadn't expected the move. Keeping one arm latched onto his arms, she swung herself onto his back. Rolling off of him, she drove one elbow at his neck and the other into his ribs. Feet once again hitting the surface, she heard the grunt of the man. The move usually knocked out the average criminal but her hair being yanked back made Sariel think that maybe just maybe this wasn't an average criminal.

"_Great, I'm fighting a metahuman_," snapped an irritated voice as the man jerked her arms behind her back while yanking her head further back until she was pressed up against him.

"That Master of yours is an idiot for not teaching you any manners," hissed the dark voice that made her blood freeze. She had made the man angry and an angry man was not a good thing.

Anger soon burned away the icey fear. No one insulted her master. Before she could strike back, Sariel felt her arm snap sending blinding white pain throughout her body. Biting back a scream she felt herself being tossed over his shoulder, once again ramming into the wall. Sliding down the wall, Sariel forced herself to regain focus while tiny drops of blood splattered on the ground.

Steel-toed boots began to make their way towards her. Inching her unseen hand towards her belt, Sariel was about to pull out the metal cord when a pair of black military boots landed in front of her, the black trench coat whispering over the ground. Peering up, Sariel took in the lean, powerful form of her master.

The other man halted, his single eye narrowing into a slit. "Reaper."

"Deathstroke."

"What a surprise. I wasn't expecting you to come to this…girl's rescue."

"Leave."

Mirth laced Deathstroke's voice, "Or what?"

Sariel scoped up against the wall, drawing her knees to her chest. Reaper's body was tense but still held a relaxed posture. But she could sense the anticipation radiating off of him. It was the same for Deathstroke, but the man was radiating murderous glee.

"I've waited for so long for this moment," purred Deathstroke.

Reaper growled, "You touched my apprentice, and you know how much I don't like my things touched."

"I know."

Both men were poised in lethal stances, malice filling up the ally. Neither gave a step, knowing that in one slight movement either one could be dead. Instead their eyes locked, sending sparks flying into the air. Gray meant shimmering blue. Her master growled, the man purred. The tension filled Sariel and she felt like she was witnessing a rare moment in time, a snapshot forever burned in her memory. Two deadly giants were on the verge of a cataclysmic battle that would forever tarnish the Earth they walked on.

Sariel's breath left her body when Deathstroke closed his eye and bowed ever so slightly. His eye snapping open as he pulled back up, she felt the man's dark grin as he stared right into her.

"Good."

Melting into the shadows, Deathstroke disappeared his eye now narrowing in on Reaper. The dark purr was left hanging in the air.

"Perfect."

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A/N: Weeeeee, so a little treat for all of you. I don't know if I'll come back here, but we'll see. Later!


	3. Heritage

A/N: Another week! Gosh, for a long time I've been itching to write about some reference to Robin's gypsy heritage. And this chapter is the result. Heads up, for pretty much everything in Italic is spoken in Romanian in the first half of the story. It's still in english, couldn't find a good translator. But there are a few words that are Romanian.

Enjoy!

**Heritage **

"_Grandpa! Grandpa_!" The small, joyous yell echoed in the old forest. A bounding raven hair boy ran through the woods, leaping over fallen logs and moss covered stones up to the small cabin.

The elderly man laid down his violin and smiled at the bundle of energy. Behind him, his daughter and her husband walked on the cobble road, letting their son run through the woods. It was not often when the Grayson family was able to take a week off and visit him in Romania. Traveling from little country towns to urbanized cities across the globe, the smell of falling leaves and crisp autumn air was missed. Everywhere where one walked, he or she could taste the ancient aura that surrounded Romania.

Mary smiled and waved at her father. It was great to be home. She wasn't able to attend her mother's funeral and she knew deep down that the time spent with her father was dwindling.

John chuckled next to her, "I wonder if I have to drink any of that strong alcohol."

Mary elbowed her husband playfully in the ribs, "Now, be nice John."

By then, their pride and joy Dick Grayson reached his grandfather. Panting, he gave his grandpa a quick hug. "_It's great to be back. I missed you. You gonna teach me anything new, huh? Huh?_"

Grandpa laughed at the bouncing boy before him. The weathered man held the smooth pale skin complexion, his once black hair now white but mussed much like Dick. The bright blue eyes of Dick were a darker, wiser shade in his grandfather's face. As the elder man gazed upon his grandson, he noted that despite the energetic, eager to learn personality of his son-in-law, he saw much of his daughter and his wife in the boy. "_Yes, yes. Have you already mastered what I taught you?_"

"_Yep_!" With that Dick leapt back and began throwing kicks and punches. "_Watch this_!" Flipping into a back flip, Dick kicked out with his left leg before landing solid. "_Ta da_!"

Grandpa clapped, "_Well done. Just never forget the basics. Understand, Grigore_." He never liked Richard or Dick. The moment he meet his grandson when the boy was only a few months old, he saw those blue eyes studying with an intensity that shook him. It was like the child could stare right into his soul. And so, the name Grigore came to mind for it meant watchful and vigilant, which it seemed for his grandson a sixth sense. And he couldn't keep calling him Prihor—Robin—for that was his mother's nickname. The boy earned it when one day as a toddler, he had tried to flap his arms and fly like a robin--which happened to be his first word.

The boy nodded vigorously. John stopped next to his son, shaking his head a big grin on his face, "_Really, Dad must you teach these things_."

The elder man scoffed, frowning at the stupidity of his son. "_Of course, you never know when you will be in a fight. In my days, during the Great War and Second one, we were always on guard._"

"_Hi Dad_," smiled Mary, trying to cool the waters between the men. She knew her father still was bit irked that his daughter married an American and her joining a circus. But after a few years of seeing her happy, he began to ease his coldness. "_It's just that Dick is a bit too young."_

"_Oh and he's not too young to go and fly and swing a hundred meters of the ground_."

"_Dad, aren't you exaggerating_."

The man frowned and gazed off to the side. Truth was he was a bit afraid for his grandson. It was lonely growing up on the road. The man was a gypsy and he and his wife had raised Mary on the road, teaching her many of the old traditions. Mary had always been graceful and somewhere along the way she picked up acrobatics. Then John entered the picture, a young American college student roaming around East Europe and had joined the little band. It wasn't easy when the two got married and he felt so alone, especially now with his Rose gone, but at least he got to see his grandson.

Speaking of which, the little prihor was ogling the violin. "_Grandpa, can you teach me_!"

The question caught all three adults off guard. John reached out and ruffled his son's hair, "_Since when are you interested in playing music, particularly a violin_?"

The grandfather eyed his daughter. Mary shrugged, just as clueless where the boy's unrestricted curiosity and seek for knowledge came from.

"_I will teach the basics. And do you know why_?"

Dick yelped a yes and sat down next to his grandfather on the small porch steps, "_Cause once you learn the basics, anything is possible. Because without the foundations, a house cannot stand._"

"_Very good_."

"_Alright, well I'll leave you two together and make some dinner_," laughed Mary. She gave her dad and son a quick peck on the cheek. John soon followed, "_Sorry, but I do want to save my hearing thank you very much._"

Left alone now on the porch, grandpa showed the strings on the violin. "_Now tell me the real reason, Grigore_."

The boy sighed. He always felt he could be open around his grandfather. It was lonely being an only child and despite being outgoing, he barely made any friends. They kept making fun of him because he was a gypsy. But with his grandfather, he wasn't ashamed and was able to make the man tell awesome stories and fairytales and not to mention learn some neat fighting, acrobatic skills too as well as how to live off the land.

"_Well_," drawing his knees up, Dick perched his chin on them. Not in the colorful uniform of the circus, he wore a wool sweater and blue jeans and sneakers. In the pose, he almost looked like a wise traveler, which he was in a way. "_I just want to learn more about my heritage. I always get called names and everything and all I can do is just snarl at them in Romanian. But it just ticks them off more. So, I thought why not show them something cool. And I remembered the songs you play on the violin and thought if I learn them, then I wouldn't be made fun of any more. Like you said once, music is a universal tongue from ancient times_."

The old man gazed upon his grandson with new eyes. The boy was insightful for one so young. A feeling of pride swelled up in him. Despite Dick being a continent away, it seemed that Mary did not forget her past. And it helped that John had learned their native tongue and seemed to push Dick to learn both of his heritages.

Handing the violin to Dick, he watched as a determined look fell upon the boy's pale but glowing features. "_Now, the most important thing is holding the violin, Grigore. There we go._" Showing him how to move his fingers, which string was what note the two worked from dawn to dusk the entire time the Graysons were there.

Mary and John were surprised but the elder man was not when Dick had an excellent handle on the basics and was playing a simple Romanian tone on the violin. When the trio had to leave once again, the grandfather promised to send the boy a new song each week and when he could, make a recording of the songs. Cause for the next time, he wanted Dick to be able to play some dance songs at the local festival. Dick took up the challenge whole-heartedly.

Till the next year, when the boy's life shattered around him with his parent's deaths and following only a few weeks, his grandfather was taken from him as well.

-----

Drawing out of his remembrance, Robin trekked up the familiar road despite not him being here for such a long time. The Titans were all back at the Tower partying over the victory over the Brotherhood of Evil. He had returned quickly to pick up something and then headed out by himself in the jet and headed back to the old country of Romania. The close brush with death had made Robin revisit his past. He had never forgotten his heritage, but he did not live up to his promises and slowly began to forget the stories and traditions. But he was here to make amends, to cling to those memories like they were oxygen.

Steel boots halted in the leaves to take in the run-down cabin. Feeling out of place, Robin lowered his head and walked into the crumbling ruins of his childhood, the small black bag hanging by his side. A few minutes later, he was dressed in black worn clothing, his mask off revealing the wise-old blue eyes that darkened from the memories--a mirror of his grandfather. In his small-ungloved hands, he held a family heirloom. After his grandfather's death, all his belongings were sent to Wayne Mansion. His grandfather had heard of his mother's death and quickly wrote his will and allowed for Bruce to adopt Dick, for he was dying of age and now a broken heart and was not fit to raise a child.

The crunching of leaves was the only sound till he stopped in front of a marked grave. Being gypsies, his grandmother and grandfather were buried where they had died, just like his parents were buried Gotham. Standing in front of his grandfather's grave, Robin sent a silent pray.

"_Because without the foundations, a house cannot stand_," Dick whispered in the old tongue.

Leaving his eyes closed, Dick placed the violin underneath his chin. He hadn't forgotten to learn every song his grandfather had sent him. He was proud of his heritage and now it was time to show it. Drawing the bow across the strings, he played the first Romanian song he ever learned, masterful fingers dancing on the strings, the haunting melody trickling through the leaves like a whisper from the past.

------------------------------------

A/N: Playing the violin is a hidden skill, Robin has. coughs It's like Batman singing in one of the Justice League Unlimited episodes, so there. Well, I'm off. Take care!


	4. Orginality

A/N: Hi everyone, here's another little update. And yes -gasp- it's a double post tonight. I didn't know which one to chose and I got some to spare. And it was my birthday this week, so in celebration I thought I would treat you guys. This one, I have to give credit to Balance in the Dark for it was her idea of: what if the Titans never showed up at the end of Masks. Thanks for the suggestion BinD and hope you enjoy!!

**Originality**

Slade smiled for the first time in a long time. Red X's, or should he say Robin's, masked face was etched in surprise. All around the two, time froze the robots in their positions. Nothing disturbed the opponents; even the earth felt as if it stopped moving. The weight of the small bag that contained the three disks weighed barely an ounce to the bombshell of Red X's exposure.

Determination narrowed the eyes. For a split second, Slade missed having Robin's face displayed to the whole world. But behind that skull mask, he could just picture the scowl that marked the young features. Sliding into a defensive stance, Robin waited for the attack. The boy wasn't going to let the villain go without a fight, predictable as always.

Not wanting to disappoint the boy and make all his hard labor of deceiving the Titans go to waste, Slade handed off the bag to one of his robots. Yet the bag did not make it to its' destination. A red X pierced the bag and pinned to the farthest wall.

Slade glanced at the bag and then turned to regard Robin's extended form. "Such hostile nature and lethal weapons. We are very much alike." Shifting his foot, Slade spun the fight into the action with a high kick.

Robin raised his arms and knocked away the kick and danced out of the way of a fist. Regaining his footing, the masked hero had no choice but to fight in the defensive. Punches and kicks rained down on him and it shook the boy at the ruthless of the man before him. If this truly was Slade, it both sacred him and pleased him. Finally, there was a villain worth his time and energy. Leaping into the air, Robin flipped backwards and withdrew a red x sending it slamming into Slade's form. Crouching on the ground, he watched the villain struggle against the bonds. Standing up, he pushed a button on his belt and triggered the electric current.

Slade bit back a yelled and collapsed on his knees. The brute strength of the surge overwhelmed. Robin smirked, pulling off his Red X mask. It was strange that as Robin, he couldn't have brought down this villain but as X…

The man fell onto his back, surprising the boy. Stepping forward, Robin kept a weary eye on the robots, which had yet to attack him. Reaching his destination, the boy kneeled down and reached out removing the mask. Before his face was a blank screen, the number 5 turning into 4.

Leaping back, Robin raised his black cape in time as the explosion from the decoy erupted in the room. Pulling on his mask once more, he felt relieved when the air filter removed the smoke and allowed him to breath. Standing up, Robin shook off the debris and stared at the remains.

He was so close! Fists clenched on his side as pure red rage blinded him. After all the stealing and fighting his friends, the villain had not lived up to his end of the deal by not meeting up with him! What had he had to do to get this man's attention?

"I like this darker side of you Robin."

The chilling voice speared through his mind. Spinning around, Robin stared like a dear-in-the-headlight look as a metal fist slammed into his face. Falling backwards, he felt blood run down his face. Opening his eyes, Robin tried to roll to the side and sprint towards the door, when Slade lunged out and grabbed the tattered cloak of his uniform.

Gasping, Robin flew off his feet, as his back was slammed hard into Slade's knee. Staring up into single eye of his nemesis, Robin could see the dark pleasure radiating off of the man. This was the real Slade and it was beginnning to freak Robin out.

Twisting, Robin tried to break away, sending a kick at the man's head. But Slade kept his gaze on Robin's masked face, his right arm striking out and catching the leg. Without a word, he sent the leg falling back, popping it straight out of its' socket.

Robin screamed, the cry coming out hoarse and strained from his mask. Slade chuckled and dropped the boy on the ground. Slamming a hard kick into his stomach, Slade circled around the fallen hero. Robin curled slightly and pulled himself onto his elbows.

Slade cherished the form of defeat. With his guard down for the few milliseconds, Robin caught the man off-guard. Taking a deep breath, Robin jerked to the side and rammed a sharp X straight at the man's stomach. Grunting from the brute force of the boy, Slade pulled the sticky substance away from his clothes and tossed into one of his robots as electricity burst the robot into flames. Irritated to have his pride bruised, Slade grabbed a hold of Robin's rising. Pulling back the cuff of the cape, Slade ripped off the X mask and slammed his fist at Robin's temple.

Shifting his grip onto Robin's raven locks, he watched with a predatory gaze as blood trickled down from a split eyebrow. Seeing the masked eyes blink slowly, Slade reached down and ripped the belt off of the slim form. Twirling the boy, the villain kneed the boy hard into stomach and karate-chopped the boy's favored right arm, breaking it in half. A pain filled scream once more erupted from his mouth. Letting go, he smirked as the boy slumped to the ground.

With the boy no longer a threat, Slade studied the belt. He was impressed by the boy's originality in creating Red X. "Xenothium. Interesting choice of weaponry: highly unstable and rarer to obtain." Handing the belt to one of his robots, Slade snapped his finger and two massive round robots went to Robin's side and picked up the boy.

Robin groaned leaning on his right leg for his left leg was still dislocated. Not to mention that it helped ease the pain of his broken right arm. "Wh-why are you doing this?"

Slade eyed the boy, impressed at his resilience. "You amuse me Robin. Trying to deceive me by becoming a villain all to get to meet me face to face. Stealing in order to trap me was unheroic." pause "I am touched by your dedication."

"H-how di-did you know it was me?"

The mastermind eased his back backwards slightly before slithering up to circle around the boy. "Simply put my boy, your fighting style. The dance-like aerialist movements are a unique style, only to you. Not to mention that little stunt of saving the changeling." Halting at the boy's side, Slade narrowed his eye as Robin's eyes shot downward, a mental slap of his stupidity.

"You still have to earn my trust for this partnership to work, but it is clear that your trust with the Titans is finished. Destroy one for the other, brilliant work. You seem to clearly posses the skills for manipulation."

"Shut up!" snapped Robin, being to struggle once more. But he immediately stopped when Slade appeared in front of him, leaning till they were almost nose-to-nose.

"You wish to know why I need the chips, right Robin. I will tell you." Leaning more to the right, he whispered into the boy's ear, smirking at the shiver that raked the boy's body, despite how Robin tried to hide it. "With these chips I will control Jump City from the inside. I can destroy the city by sending a virus through the mainframe or set off explosions throughout the infrastructure."

Finished, the master criminal backed up and took in the boy's face. Emotions flickered in and out but rage was a constant. "And I must congratulate you, Robin, for your help."

Stepping back, he turned to leave when Robin cried out. "Wait!"

Turning, he eyed the boy. "Yes, Robin."

"Don't do this! You can't!"

"I can do whatever I wish."

"I'll do anything, just don't destroy Jump!"

Shoulders slide up. Masked face tilted to the side. The single eye narrowed into a slit. Robin felt his mouth dry up. The man was a tiger, the calm evil aura washing off of him. What had he gotten himself into?

"Anything?"

The soft word sank into Robin's mind like a suffocating blanket. Robin nodded.

"Let me hear it."

"Yes, anything."

Gliding up to the boy, Slade lifted Robin's chin with one finger and stared deep into those masked eyes. He had his prize in the cusp of his hand. Slade had planned a different method in obtaining the boy's alliance, but this fiasco as Red X kept pushing the boy towards him. And what type of villain would he be if he did not exploit this change of masks to his advantage. At first he was going to blackmail Robin with his own friends, but not why do it with the entire city.

"I want you to swear to me, Robin. Swear that when you step outside this room that you will no longer be a hero but a thief working for me. You will become Red X and obey my every order. You will not interact or talk to the Titans or any other superhero in any form of contact. If you break the smallest part of this…partnership, I will destroy this city and you will watch knowing that it was your fault." With each sentence, Slade had tightened his grip on Robin's chin as the boy struggled to break the man's hold

Robin spat on Slade's mask, "I hate you!"

Expecting the defiance, Slade kicked Robin's left leg lightly, earning another scream. "You are trying my patience." He kicked hard.

Through the tears of pain and blinded by white light, Robin yelled."I swear!"

Slade let got of Robin's chin and patted the boy on the head. "Remember this Robin, it was of your own choice that you proposed this partnership. Take pride in your originality in trying to catch a criminal." Turning he nodded at the robots and watched as they marched out of the room. "We are so alike, partner." Folding his hands behind his back, Slade gazed down at the silent fuming figure of Robin. "Come, Red X."

_-A week later-_

Slade watched Robin, or should he say Red X, fight the Titans on the rooftop of Wayne Towers. The first couple days had been exhausting, even for the mastermind. Several times, Robin tried to escape. Yet, each time Slade had caught the boy and reminded him of the threat. Defiance would immediately dissipate and knowing he won again, Slade would tell his partner to clean up the destroyed robots. It also seemed that the Titans had figured out that Red X was their leader and had searched for the boy. Yet, Slade kept eluding them, not wanting to find the boy till he was ready.

He watched with a critical eye as Beastboy rammed Robin in the side, sending the lighter boy rolling towards the edge of the building. When Robin did not get up, Beastboy morphed back and went to up to Robin out of concern. The changeling barely had time to react when Robin jumped up and sent a powerful red x at him, pinning the younger boy to the white letter of Y. Leaping back into the fight, Robin danced through the Titans, even electrocuting Starfire when she powered up her bolts. Gazing at a smaller screen, he took in the boy's statistics and noticed the boy's adrenaline and endorphins were exceptional high. It seemed the boy enjoyed fighting against his friends and stealing. Perfect.

Robin's sleek black form disappeared, the skull mask the last to go. He had to hand it to the boy for his originality in creating Red X. One night after punishing Robin for another one of his escape attempts, Slade had examined the outfit. The weapons were finely tuned. The gloves had a simple latch for easy reloading of the xenothium. He couldn't forget to mention the cloaking device. The only improvement he made to his partner's outfit was installing a voice inhibitor in the mask, making sure Robin did not talk to the Titans. Little detection chips were added to monitor the boy's vitals. He also installed a second communications device, so Robin would always hear his voice.

Leaning his face on his fist, Slade did not show any emotion as a red blade slammed into the seat where his head was only a few minutes before. Gazing upward, he spotted Robin crouched on top on the counsel, the skull masked removed to reveal the familiar eye mask. Face etched in permanent anger, Robin leapt and landed on the keyboard to punch Slade in the face. Yet the villain expected such and slammed Robin into the screen, his grip on the boy's throat tightening.

Sparks flew into the air, sending the pair into darkness. Soon after, the backup generators whizzed on drenching them in dull orange light. Slade continued to pin the boy, taking in the dark bruise on his right cheek and the scar on his temple from that night Robin swore his new oath. The arm had healed fast thanks to Slade's enhanced medial supplies that astonished Robin. The left leg was also back, kicking at him with ferocity. Slade tightened his grip and knew bruises were forming.

Robin halted his moves and drilled his stare into Slade's gray eye. "Say it."

Slade chuckled and took in the slim figure. Yes, black and red so fitted his little bird. But there was another color that would make his claim on the boy concrete. Once the boy learned his place, their partnership would be taken to another level. Like how the boy shed his Robin skin, so would he shed Red X. The boy _will_ become his apprentice and wear _his_ colors. But first, things first.

"If you do not love your city as much as you proclaim, then maybe I should incorporate those Titans into my list."

Fear made those eyes widened. "No, you wouldn't! That wasn't what I swore too!"

"But Red X, you keep breaking your oath. It is only reasonable that I am allowed to do the same as well."

Color drained from Robin's face. The small shoulders sagged in defeat. Robin couldn't endanger his friends. Slade smirked behind his mask, "What do you say, _partner_?"

Robin tensed in his grip, but the boy was mindful of his tongue. "Sorry, Slade."

"Good, X. Did you succeed in the job?"

Releasing his grip, Slade's smirk deepened as Robin removed the small round end of a thermal blaster. Handing it to Slade, Robin clenched his fist as the man walked into the darkness.

"Come now, Red X, do not act so disappointed. You chose this profession. You chose this partnership. Now deal with the consequences." The soft, mocking purr echoed in the hideout, constantly reminding Robin of the truth.

Left alone, Robin drew up his legs to his chest and sat on the keyboard amongst the ruins of the counsel. Resting his forehead on his knees, the tattered cloak of Red X fell over his shoulders. Slade was right. He had made a choice and now he had to live with the consequences. Closing his eyes, Robin hugged himself harder trying to hold back the chock that racked his body when the images of the Titans fighting him assaulted his mind. He was a criminal now, even if it was to save the city: a virtue twisted into a vice.

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A/N: I confess, I had fun writing this. It also gave me a good excuse to watch Masks again. Well, you all know the drill and once again if you have requests or suggestions let me know and I'll try and write one. Later!


	5. Deal in the Blood Red Light

Disclaimer: I don't own nothing.

A/N: Yay, it's Thanksgiving Break! And cause it's break time, I'll probably update a couple times this week. And don't worry, I'm working on Mens Rae, just give me some time cause I'm juggling a research paper at the same time. Well, otherwise I'll be here on the computer. It's all cold and snowing: perfect weather for writing stories. Ok, so this drabble hit me after watching The End.

**Deal in the blood red light**

He was alone. Totally, utterly alone. Well, if one counted the four-eyed ravens, a demon from another dimension and a ex-dead man then he wasn't alone. But for the Boy Wonder, he was alone. Alone in a dead world, where his guilt was drowning him in a sea of statues. This was the world Robin lived in for a week, but what felt like years, as he slowly made his way to the place where it all began. He knew he couldn't stand this isolation any longer. The Boy Wonder was actually surprised he had survived this long under the reign of Trigon. Had the demon not sensed him? No, because Robin had caught glimpses of the sleeping giant on his throne of Titans Tower and knew the creature was too busy slowly regaining his powers. But soon, he would be complete and then everything would be for nothing. Robin clung to hope as he held onto his hungry stomach. The very little canned food he found and clean water did little to keep his strength up. And the quietness was too creepy and coupled with his paranoia turned into sleepless nights.

Walking softly, all round him, gray people stood frozen for all eternity, their faces etched in pure fright. Failure, they seem to scream at him with their dead gazes. And deep down, his soul cried out the same cold accusation. His metal-toed shoes echoed in the desolate wasteland. There was nothingness and it scared him like no other. The entire planet was mute. The once vibrant blue-green gem now radiated a blood-red glow, the fire oceans stained the sky with smoke. There were no longer any sounds of life, the buzz of insects, the chattering of people, the humming of life itself. Everything was mute: Pompeii after the blast.

Watching a ruby-eyed raven landed on the head of a little boy who was down on his knees, crying out into the air. The raven cocked its' head at him, gazing at the boy with 'Why are you even alive?' stare. Somehow, the other bird felt as if the dark creature was belittling him, accusing that he should have suffered an even worse existence. Despair turned into boiling rage.

Scooping down, he picked up a rock and chucked it at the raven. "Leave me the hell alone!"

The bird shrieked into the air, the flapping of wings and shocked voice breaking the silence. The rock nicked the boy's head, causing the statue to wobble backwards. Fear widened the mask eyes, "NO!"

Lunging forward, Robin skidded across the ground like a baseball player. Sliding underneath the statue, he caught the heavy statue, his chest acting as cushion. Air escaped his lungs, as the statue laid uneven on him. Grunting, he slowly pushed the statue back up with his forearms, face turning red from exertion. The statue slides back upright, grinding against the dusty ground. Panting, Robin rested his head against the boy's shoulder, heaving. That had been a close call, too close. Robin remembered all to vividly the first time he accidentally hit a statue. It had been at one of the markets. He was trying to reach behind a man to get the box of cereal, when he bumped into the man. Like dominoes, the man fell backwards, hitting a woman and her teenage son, shattering all three against the metal shopping carts, littering the aisle with their remains. For hours, gloved hands covered in dust tried to piece them back together, but nothing worked. Robin had stayed in that aisle for a day, mourning them quietly while holding back the tears. From that day forth, he moved with shoulders drawn up, walking on tip-toes making certain not to bump into anyone or anything, as if the whole world was made up of cracked glass.

Returning to the present, a relieved "Sorry" soothed away the silence for a second. Pretending to pat the boy on the head, while keeping his hand way above the stone, Robin stood up and turned around slowly to face a familiar steeple. It was the same one where he had seen Raven fall after her encounter with Slade. With nothing else to do, the boy trekked across the ruins and began his ascension to the top of the tower.

The climb had taken more out of him then he wished, but considering his ribs were slightly bruised from the statue he didn't feel the need to complain. Besides, he welcomed the pain. The pain became a twisted form of adrenaline. It meant that this was not a dream, that this was real and not some wacky nightmare. And if this was reality, then maybe the other Titans were alive out there and they could fix this mess.

Standing atop the round tower, Robin took in the total devastation of Trigon's work. Everything was crumbling beyond the horizon. Was Alfred frozen in place, dusting off the grandfather clock that was the entrance to the Batcave? For that matter, was Bruce frozen in front of his computer, fingers hovering over the keyboard. The cowl would be off, barring his face to the whole world with that permanent scowl now forever chiseled? Was Superman standing before Louis, about to tell her his secret? Was Kid Flash in the mist of doing one of his other crazy acts with Jinx? Was-

Crashing onto his knees, Robin leaned downwards, head bowed in grieving, hands sprawled out onto the ash of a dead world. The cape fell down his shoulders, encasing him in his own private world. He was one lonely boy…one human against a demon. If Raven fought and lost against her own father, then what could he do? What could the Titans do? They were only kids! Did Fate realize what a tremendous burden this was on their shoulders?

A breath got caught up in his constricting lungs. How much he wanted to cry out to the world his frustration, but the fear of Trigon finding him prevented the scream from bursting out.

"Guys, where are you? I can't do this alone." The soft whisper wasn't meant to be heard by anyone. Yet, Fate was not done punishing the boy.

"Your friends have abandoned you, Robin, just like I told you they would."

The ice-cold, knowing voice snapped Robin's head up as if the man himself had grabbed a handful of his hair and yanked it up himself. Sliding upon the balls of his heels, Robin stood up with the grace of an ancient warrior. Head still bowed slightly, he turned without the slight whisper of his black cape, slatted eyes of a wolf posed on attack. "Slade."

The voice was just above a ghost's whisper but the man in question could feel the coldness and it sent shivers down his spine. Shrugging off the odd feeling, blaming it on the mere fact that he was at the moment just bones, he continued, "If you want to see your friends, follow me."

Pivoting on his right leg, the man didn't even wait to see if Robin would follow him. He knew instinctually, the boy would. Robins were social creatures; they did not brave loneliness all too well. The light patter of feet behind him marked the boy's decision. The villain wanted to gloat at how easy it was to make Robin obey him but that feeling never came. Maybe it was the circumstances.

Breaking the ice, Slade saw his breath puff out in front of him, "I did not wish for this to happen."

"Could have fooled me."

Slade found himself frowning at the dead voice. He liked his Robin oozing with uncontrollably rage, not this emotionless doll. "Think of me as you like, but I do not want Earth's destruction. There is no satisfaction when everything around you is dust."

"Then why join him?"

"Simply a means to get to my goal."

"And that being?"

Tilting his mask at an angle to send a cold glitter at the boy, he answered vaguely. "That is of my concern, not yours." Returning his gaze in front of him, Slade found the deep crater of his destination.

Robin must have noticed for he stopped. "I'm not going to Trigon."

Halting himself, Slade tucked his arms behind his back and peered at the boy. "I am no longer working for that man."

A tight frown creased Robin's face. For a fraction of a second, Slade saw a lost boy on the verge of breaking underneath the pressure of saving a dead world. Feeling that he owed the boy some answer, he paused. "A deal was a deal and he broke it. You should know what that is like."

Robin nodded, the memory of the last minutes of his apprenticeship flashing before him. "Yeah."

Slade did not continue talking, resuming his march to the crater. Robin quickly caught up. At the edge, he took in the circle where only a few moments ago Raven had become the portal and all was destroyed in the blink of an eye. But, for some odd reason- "Why do I feel like she's not dead?"

"Because she is not. Some of her remains despite what happened here. Hence why you survived."

"And the others."

"Just you." Gesturing with one hand, Slade pointed downwards at a group of statues clustered near the corner. Instinct took over and Robin bolted down the stairs to where the three Titans stood frozen in time. Starfire, Cyborg and Beastboy stood in their classic battle stances. Starfire had her hands to the sides about to power up her bolts. Beastboy was starting to morph into a cheetah and Cyborg had his arm lifted about to send off a sonic boom.

"What happened?"

"They were on their way to meet you, when Trigon caught sight of them. With Raven shielding you from the man, they were quickly turned into stone."

Robin reached out to touch Starfire's face when a steel-gloved hand grabbed his wrist. Jerking his head, Robin glared as Slade slide up to his side. "What are you doing?"

Slade narrowed his eye, "There is something important we must discuss."

"What is it you want?" Robin's angry tone had returned and Slade merely smirked before letting go of Robin's wrist. The boy was back. Good.

A shift in stance and Slade smashed a stone rat into tiny pieces, "I can bring them to life, with what little magic I have left. But, in return…become my apprentice once more and I won't have to…break anything else."

Robin understood the warning underneath. Join Slade or he would kill the Titans here and now. They were easy targets. The statue of the threesome falling mixed into the remains of the rat. "Do you ever tire of blackmail?"

"Do you ever tire of being a failed hero, Robin?"

Anger flashed on the boy's face, his tiny fists curling in on themselves. "I won't-"

Slade stepped forward, seeming to grow in height almost like Trigon would slowly grow before Robin's small, weary frame. All the playful nature Robin felt when Slade had fought them in the past disappeared, all the restraints he kept in check broke like rusted chains. "Your friends might as well be dead, boy. You know as well as I do, that we are running out of time to save this world. Once Trigon gains all his powers, there will be nothing to stop him and we might as well be statues ourselves." Grabbing both Robin's forearms in an iron grip, he jerked the boy close to him, making Robin feel even smaller, "Be sensible, forget about your idiotic emotions and think."

Robin stared wide-eyed in fear and awe at the evil emitting off of the man. This was Batman's controlled anger times negative ten. Gulping, Robin's mind instantly clicked into gear and began the process of weighing the pros and cons of joining with Slade. If he was able to bring back the Titans, then it would be a whole lot easier to take down Trigon. But, could he turn his backs on his friends again?

Eyes turning to regard their forms, Robin frowned. No. He wouldn't do this to them. This time, they would be destroyed completely.

Slade knew what that frown meant, but continued. "They will never remember what happened to them, Robin. Once they awaken, they will think that only a second has passed by. But you will remember everything. You will remember their frozen faces and that of every statue here. Oh, I've watched you. I've seen you search for food, careful of not bumping into statues. The caution, the paranoia is engrained in you now. Can you picture yourself walking normal again, looking at Jump City without seeing it in ruins?" Leaning down, he whispered into Robin's ear, driving the stake. "Your guilt will make you relieve these past seven days for the rest of your life."

An uncertain voice answered him, "What can you offer me?"

"I won't forget."

The dark-hair dropped forward and Slade released his grip. Fatigue was playing to his advantage. The boy wasn't firing on all thrusters and the guilt was eating up the boy from the inside. Finally, for what seemed like another eternity, Robin glanced up at Slade. "Deal." The voice spoke of utter compliance, but Slade heard the rage of being dragged into apprenticeship dripping onto the ground. But that was fine with him; Slade wouldn't have it any other way. He did not like submissive apprentices.

"Here's the plan. And Robin."

"Yes."

Silence.

"Yes…Master."

"I expect you to be on your best performance."

-------

The Titans laughed with joy into the sky. Beastboy was leaping around, throwing punches and kicks into the blue sky. Cyborg hollered and breathed in the fresh, crisp, ocean air. Starfire squeezed Raven's form, tears of happiness staining the white cloak. "We did it, Friend Raven!"

Raven laughed and hugged Starfire back, "Yes we did." Breaking the hug, violet eyes turned to spot where Robin had been lying on the ground before she attacked her father. But no form greeted her eyes. Concerned flooded her new senses. Scanning the area, she searched for the green and red clad hero that had traveled into the fire-depths of Hell to save her.

Starfire and the other must have recognized her concern, for they too started to search. The alien princess clutched her fingers, "Where is Robin?"

----------

A long time ago, Robin had thrown his communicator in the trash on his way back to the tower to await the Titans' arrival, where they had regrouped to fight against Trigon. Later on, after he had saved Raven, he built a concrete wall to separate his mind from hers. And now, in the shadows of an ally, his masked eyes scanned the sky where he heard Starfire's voice fly overhead calling his name.

Leaning against the wall, Robin felt himself draw deeper into the shadows, stopping at the gray edge. Slade had been right. None of them remembered how long they had been statues. Everywhere he turned, he expected to see accusing statues and ruby-eyed ravens. His body waited for the searing heat of the fire-oceans, stench-smoke air and hazy red sky. Every blink, he saw the ruins of Jump City and the frozen statues of his friends. The parasite of Guilt had sunk its' teeth into him and would not let go. Sometime during the past seven days—had it truly been that short—he lost something and Robin knew he could never get it back. Guilt swelled in his heart, behind the R badge and he clutched at it, letting it burn through his glove.

"One more thing, Robin."

Robin pushed himself off the wall and gazed at Slade dully. He just wanted to sleep. Sleep and not be paranoid that every living thing he touched would crumple beneath his fingers. "What?" He hadn't meant for the word to be harsh, but the last mission had finally caught up to his young body.

Slade didn't have to say a word, just merely lock his gaze on the badge. Robin took one breath and gazed down at the fingers. They clutched at the edges waiting for the commanding.

"Robin." The stern voice meant for him to hurry, like the time he had called his name before the two journeyed downwards.

Biting the corner of his lip, Robin felt his mind give the command. And like a firing squad, his fingers answered. Ripping off the R, the hand quickly let the jagged piece of cloth flutter to the ground, landing just beyond the boundary of the gray.

Slade slid away from his position on the opposite side and drifted into the shadows. Robin felt his feet take baby steps past the gray boundary into the darkness, his eyes never leaving the badge. He wanted to tell himself that he would come back and reclaim it one day, but he knew it was a lie. No one was supposed to live through the end of days and survive unscathed, not even a superhero.

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A/N: Well, you know the drill. I might post another soon, either tonight or tomorrow and Mens Rae will come soon after. Later!


	6. Night Time

Disclaimer: I don't own, otherwise we would still see the Titans

A/N: Cause the last one was dark, which sometimes I amaze myself that I write like that, here is a nice happy little one. So the beginning might seem a bit wierd, I must have been high or something. Otherwise, nothing much to warn about.

**Night Time**

_"Alright you little munchkins, here's the plan!" announced Starfire with her cheerful voice, her hands on her hips. The superhero was wearing a small pair of blue shorts and white shirt with a whistle dangling around her neck. Narrowing her eyes in agitation, she took in the wild scene of her gym class before her._

_Melvin, Pantha and Bumblebee were passing the volleyball to each other. On the other side of the net, Blackfire, Kitten and Jinx were grinning ear to ear to spike the ball. Next to the girls, Cyborg, Speedy and Gnarrk were yelping trying to distract each other over a game of Around the World, the basketball ricocheting off the of the board. The ball flew across the gym hitting Raven, who was sitting quietly in the bleachers, right in the chest._

_The boys felt their mouths drop open as a dark figure rose from the bleachers, fires roaring out of her mouth, electricity shooting out from her eyes. Without warning, Raven shot across the room, throwing every basketball in the room at the threesome. The boys yelled and ran around the court, trying to get away from the demon._

_They almost matched the speeds of Kid Flash and Mas y Menos, who were having races around the indoor track. A quick burst of wind shook the knotted rope that dangled from the ceiling. Beastboy yelped and quickly changed into a monkey, clinging to the rope. Scattering up the rest of the rope, he climbed over Kole, who laughed at the cute, chattering monkey who was waving angry fists at the ruckus below. Aqualad, Harold and Jericho stepped out of the locker, ready to take a dip in the pool, towels draped around their waists. Cyborg, Speedy and Gnarrk blasted by with black basketballs hot on their trails, a dark figure streaking by, four beady eyes glaring at them. A few seconds later, three unidentifiable blurs zoomed by, blowing the towels right off of their bodies. Thankfully, the boys wore long trunks, but Jericho covered his chest quickly, bursted into tears and ran back into the locker room._

_In the mist of all this chaos, three people were able to sit on their assigned spots on the gym floor for role call. Well, they were close. Slade and Terra were in their right places but Robin was causing a ruckus, as usually. The Boy Wonder was laid flat on his stomach, with Slade sitting on top of him, arms crossed a football resting in front of him. Robin was kicking and yelling curses in every language possible. Terra was squatted in front of him, a big grin on her face, waving a red flag in front of his face. In a singsong voice, she mocked the Boy Wonder for losing his twentieth game of flag football and that one against two was just not working out for him. That just enraged the boy even more, causing Slade to close his eye in irritation._

_But there was one more thing that greeted Starfire's eyes. They were all chibi versions of themselves. Everything was still the same, clothes, alliances, and attitudes. The only thing different was that they were a bit short; ok make that a lot shorter than usually._

_Clapping, Starfire assumed her role as the gym teacher. "Friends! It is time to do the call of rolling. Then we can play the football game with the colorful pieces of cloths."_

_Robin shot her an annoyed look, "You mean flag football, Star?"_

_"YES!"_

_The children yelled and all zoomed into their positions, except for Slade who still sat on Robin. Starfire pouted and was about to point her finger at him when a high-pitch siren broke through the gym, the scene falling into red._

Groaning, Starfire rose from her bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She was having a wondrous dream about all her friends and enemies. They—especially Robin—looked all so adorable in their small forms. Sliding into her purple boots, she patted Silkie on the head before opening her door. Beastboy was mopping his way past her door, a big yawn escaping his half-awake face.

"Hello, Friend Beastboy!"

An incoherent mumbling responded before eyes completely closed shut. Raven and Cyborg walked down the hall, both semi-awake. Raven sighed, "This better be good."

The siren shut off when the foursome were halfway down the hall. That was unusual. The questioning glances snapped their minds alert. Bolting down to the main control room, Starfire grabbed the still sleeping Beastboy and floated behind her friends. The doors swooshed open revealing Robin spinning around, hands behind his back.

"Oh. Hi guys!"

Questioning marks popped over the other Titans' heads from Robin's bizarre act. Beastboy blinked himself awake and took in the small, sweet smile on Robin's face. "Dude, don't ever smile like that again. It's creepy."

The smile dropped off of Robin's face, only to be replaced by the familiar scowl. "Fine. Look, you guys can go back to bed. The siren was a false alarm."

"False?" chided Cyborg.

Robin nodded. "Yep."

Raven raised her eyebrow at their leader. "Really?"

The sarcastic tone made Robin's shoulders shrug. Starfire's tired mind saw the boy in front of her morph into his chibi version and she floated up to him and patted him on the head. "It is ok, chibi-Robin. All is alright."

The three Titans gazed wearily at Starfire. Robin coughed, taking a step back, ruffling his hair back to its' spikey nature. "Look, I was just checking something on the computer and accidentally triggered the alarm."

"What exactly where you looking up at-" Cyborg glanced at his watch, "12:35 AM?"

"What do you think?" snapped Robin right back, crossing his arms across his chest.

Beastboy waved his hand in the air. "Whatever man, I'm going back to bed." Trudging back, the changeling began snoring.

Raven sighed. "Be careful next time." She quickly caught up to the youngest member to make sure he didn't run into any walls.

Cyborg shook his head, "Insomniac."

Starfire patted Robin on the head again, causing the boy to begin to seethe in irritation. "Night, Robin!"

As the last Titans left, the door closing behind them, Robin puffed an air of relief. Ruffling his hair again, Robin turned and peered behind the counsel. Tossing the bat-a-rang in the center of the hidden small circle, he hissed quietly, "Be careful next time!"

Batgirl stuck out her tongue at her partner, yanking the metal out of the carpet. "It's not like you didn't ask for it."

Robin mumbled and made his way back to his spot in the circle. To his right, Aqualad was stretched out drinking a glass of water, studying his cards. To his right, Kid Flash munched on a bag of chips, smirking at his hand of cards. Next to him was Wonder Girl, having returned from her studies under Wonder Woman, eyes darting to and fro between the guys running her finger over the edges of the cards. After her was Speedy trying to act all serious, shoulders drawn in and hunched down peering over his cards. And between him and Aqualad was Batgirl, her frown directed at Robin, cards placed face down on the floor.

The reunion of the original Titans and the older of the sidekicks occurred in secret and at spontanous times and places. They didn't want to draw the attention of the other Titans and it was one of the few times they could act their age and themselves.

"So, what are we playing people," sighed Aqualad.

Robin smirked back at Batgirl, not backing down from the fight. "I said Strip Poker." He waited for another projectile to be thrown his way, but none came.

Instead, Batgirl sent him an equally challenging grin. "Bring it on…Chibi-Robin."

Groans vibrated around the crowd. The two were so predictable. But, Kid Flash, Speedy and Wonder Girl snickered. It was hilarious to hear Starfire call Robin that. It was too bad that neither of them had a recorder, otherwise it would have been posted immediatly on the web. Robin shook his head, but the cold smile warned the others of coming attractions for making fun of him. "Belts first."

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A/N: Gotta question myself sometimes where these ideas come from. I know, I know, Batgirl isn't part of the orginial Titans, but I thought I'd throw her in there just for kicks and someone for Robin to play off of. Well, that's about it. Take care, stay warm and eats lots of turkey!


	7. Two of a kind was never this false

Disclaimer: These characters aren't mind, for if they were, I would have made sure Jason would have stayed dead. Cruel I know, but this is Titans...

A/N: This drabble is for Tsuki and her crazy little idea of Robin Dick meeting Robin Jason. Let me tell ya right now, I don't know much about Jason--never really liked him. But thankfully Tsuki helped, thank you Tsuki, in getting an idea on Jason's personality.

**Two of kind was never this false**

He wasn't gone that long.

"Dude…." Beastboy's green eyes were wide with surprise.

"Oh boy." Raven lowered her eyes, regret seeping into her posture.

"Um." Cyborg merely blinked not able to completely trust the situation in front of him.

"Friend Robin, you have returned, oh such glorious news!" Starfire clapped her hands, tears running down her cheeks.

He wasn't gone that long…not to be…

Robin took in his four friends, the barely recognizable backpack plopping on the ground. Happiness and relief was bubbling within him. His dream had become a reality. If only it wasn't so short-lived. Yet, he pushed the negative thought out of his mind and just stood to allow the sight of his friends bask him in much needed warmth. None had changed that much since he last saw them. Beastboy might have had a spurt growth since now he was almost as tall as Cyborg. Raven herself seemed to have filled out a bit more. Cyborg remained the same. And Starfire was in the full blossom of womanhood.

"Hey, let the guy have some breathing space."

Robin's masked eyes narrowed into slits. Dressed in _his_ uniform, a boy of similar build and appearance stared right back in him. The backdrop of Jump City reflecting off of the bay only seemed to enhance the _new_ Robin's position as leader of the Titans. Dark spiky hair, small athletic build, cocky smirk, the stance…it was all his and not.

He wasn't gone that long! Sure, he might have sent a signal to give the notion, but Batman was the world's greatest detective and would have waited till his body showed up. Not only that, but he wasn't gone that long, just a few...Robin fought to keep his face from falling into a scowl as the doppleganger. Living in Dante's ninth level of hell had taught him to be wary of any displays of emotions.

The other Robin wormed his way through the Titans. "Come on, guys. As much as old Robby here probably is glad to finally be home after all this time, I think it's best if he lays down for a bit." Reaching the original leader, he punched him in lightly in the shoulder. Robin whispered with a sick glee, masked eyes narrowed in a playful look. "Let's go, bro."

Whistling, the new Robin pivoted on his foot and began to walk down the corridor. The old leader stood quietly, still trying to wrap his mind over the presence of another Robin. He wasn't gone that long…was he? Reaching up, he dusted the worn shoulder as if the new Robin had the plague, shattering the surreal moment. Time to go return back to reality.

"Robin, we are-" Star halted when their Robin shot his teammates a dark look. The Titans shrank back and swallowed.

"It ain't our fault. Batman sent him here and well, yeah…" laughed Beastboy nervously as he scratched the back of his head.

The old Robin said nothing, his lips thinning. Picking up the worn out backpack, the teenager spun around and marched after the other raven-haired boy. Time had been harsh to him. The spiky look had faded to thick locks hanging around his head, but thankfully it remained short. The ragged sweater and jeans underneath the dusty trench coat were the only clothes he still retained after his latest mission. The metal boots now dulled with wear halted next to a pair of shiny boots reflecting the light. The pristine red, green and yellow uniform with the black cape swept back screamed new, untarnished talent. For the first time, he could see why Slade had been attracted to him. It was like a moth to a flame. The old goods of himself were nothing compared this newer, pristine version of Robin.

He had been replaced and it made him feel old and disgusted…disgusted that his shoes could have been filled so early. He hadn't been gone that long, he was certain of it!

Robin sneered mentally, but his face remained emotionless, the mask eyes studying the boy before him. From his guess, they were only a few months, maybe a couple years apart but still he felt that the boy belonged in diapers.

"You know, you perfected that stinkin' emotionless mask of Bats pretty well. Feel like teachin' me?" joked the carefree voice.

Silence. The new Robin shrugged and opened the door to his room. "Hope you don't mind if I changed your room. When we didn't hear anything from you and then your stuff showed up, we kinda figured you were dead. Although, I think Batman kept searching."

Both Robins stepped into the room. The door locked behind them, yet the older Robin paid no heed. He took in the few scattered pictures of models; music artists and movie posters intermingled with newspaper clippings of the latest triumphs of the Titans. Flopping down on his unmade bed, the new Robin kicked off his boots into a random pile on the ground. The room almost made Beastboy's room seem organized. Ripping of his mask, the boy tossed it on the crowded nightstand.

"Make yourself comfortable, Dick."

The glare sent his way made the younger boy shiver before laughing. "And there goes the Batglare. I swear you are like a clone of Bruce." Another dark glare. "Ok, ok. Lighten up a bit and let me fill you in." Clearing his throat, the boy did a flick of his wrist, a cigarette magically appearing. Lighting the stud, he took a small puff letting the cloud mingle above his head. "The name's Jason Todd. Stole the tires off the Batmobile, got caught, Bats took my under his wing then took up your little mantle here. Sweat deal when compared to prison." The blue eyes sparkled at the fact that he enjoyed the original's Robin's tension radiating off of his body. "Know all about the little secrets, Dickie. I'm part of the family now, so better get use to it."

Robin closed his eyes and took off his own mask, wincing slightly at the sting. It had been awhile since he wore his mask. It was the only thing he retained during his mission, sending everything else careening down a river. He had faked his own death to complete the mission and now it was time to face the consequences. Fear trickled down his veins, but somehow he was glad he was doing this finally. The nightmares would cease after today. Walking over, he sat down on the chair and flipped open the laptop.

Jason sat up abruptly, fear flashing on his face, "What are you doing?"

For the first time, Richard spoke, the deep voice low and measured. "You're the detective." He sent an amused smirk flying over his shoulder. He was going to enjoy his homecoming one way or another, just after he fixed this mess of robins. The nest had become crowded with his return.

The harsh comment hit Jason hard. Pouncing onto his feet, the boy slammed the laptop closed before it could make the connection to the Batcave, "Like hell am I going to let you contact Bruce!"

Dick shifted his cool ice-blue eyes to lock onto the burning sky-blues of his supposed brother. "And why not? Wouldn't it be best if HE knew I was alive?"

"And let him take away everything I've worked for these past few months? I think not!" Jason leaned into Dick's face, spitting out his rage, "You don't know what it's like filling in your shoes, freakin' gypsy. It was always about you and how you were able to pull off a certain stunt and I can't. I've finally won his trust. I finally have a family and like hell am I about to give up this position as leader and side-kick to some freakin' dead man!"

In his younger days, Dick might have yelled back but he had aged and even though he was barely old enough to drink, he knew that he was more mature than this punk. What did Bruce see in him? Jason was full of impulsive behavior, flaunting the title he created out of the ashes of his past life like it was merely the latest fashion trend. And the rage was way out of character. Dick knew he had a fiery temper back then, but it was never like this. The kid was like a time bomb waiting to go off. He wasn't fit for leading the Titans; he wasn't fit for guarding Batman's back.

Jason regained his composure and began to chuckle, taking another swing from the cigarette. Standing straight, he ran a hand through his black hair. "What nothing to say? You know, you're nothing like I pictured you to be: the hotheaded, loud mouthed, optimistic, bouncing Boy Wonder. All I see is some washed up hero, who I think, it is time to retire and let the newbie handle the ropes."

Dick let out a snarl and stood up. They might be the same height and Jason might be a bit more muscle, where Dick was of smaller frame and had lost weight. Despite those differences, Dick's whole body was a mass of muscles waiting to be unleashed. Hard labor and long marches would do that to a person.

"Washed-up hero?" The dark, hissing voice questioned through clenched teeth. The blue eyes narrowed into slits, fingers curled slightly into themselves. He had learned to stay calm during the taunting sessions, but this little punk was pushing him. Dick knew he should just let it go, the wearniess from his travels. But that was burning up fast when he looked into those cocky, wild eyes.

Jason felt shivers run down his spine, arms and legs. The boy, no man—Dick would be 19 by now, going on 20—had appeared hungry, weak and soul-tired when he stepped between those massive doors in the main room. There was no warning of his arrival. One moment, the Titans and himself were joking around, taking it easy after arresting Mad Mob. The next, the doors opened and a ghost from the past walked in. Despite the separation, the Titans immediately recognized their old leader. Jason stood back as they walked up to Dick as if they were afraid he would vanish. Jealousy erupted in the street kid. It had taken awhile to win over their hearts that he was capable of inheriting Robin's leadership role, but it had happened. For a short time, Dick was a memory of the past; Jason was the present and future.

"You heard me. You're the past, Dick. I'm the freakin' future," spat Jason. He wasn't one for standing down and this was a fight he would fight till the bitter end. Even if it meant making Dick stay dead this time.

He never saw it coming. One moment Jason was grinning down at Dick, the next he was pinned on the ground a hand around his throat, Dick staring into the depths of his soul.

"You think it was hard filling in my shoes, boy? You think it is hard running a team? You know nothing. I've had to fight and prove myself over and over to Batman. Even now, I don't have his trust. I created Robin and the Titans with my bare hands, helping each grow in an oppressive world. If it wasn't for my blood and sweat, you would be nothing!" Squeezing, Dick let his own rage drip onto the struggle form beneath him. "You call me washed-out? You don't know where I've been these past months! I've seen horrors that would make you cry like a newborn."

No longer in control of himself, everything that Dick held back the whole time he was gone overrode his senses. Letting go, Dick rose onto his feet and backed away from the boy. Blue eyes fell into themselves and he backed up against the window. The coldness seeped into his bones, numbing away the pain and rage.

Jason rubbed his throat, already feeling the bruises form. Eyes focused on Dick, he rose slowly off the ground. "You're crazy."

Those old-soul eyes gazed up once more onto his face. Robin smiled softly, a spark of mocking amusement shining in his eyes. "Hm, you try and do an undercover mission into a prison camp and lets see how you react." It wasn't a question; it was a statement.

Jason heard the challenge and for once reason won out over his pride. "I'm not as stupid as you are."

"We'll see," whispered Dick. Stepping away from the window, Dick's eyes swept across the room. The air shifted with the change of mood.

"I always thought of coming home, of seeing everyone again. You're probably thinking you have taken everything from me…" Eyes narrowed in on the replacement, Jason flinched at the dead smile. The only hope that kept Dick going was gone and Jason realized that he was the reason. As a true hero, he should feel remorse and try to give an alternative, but he just felt smug satisfaction. He won; the street thief Jason Todd was Robin, leader of the Titans and the sidekick of Batman. But it was short lived.

"But seeing the Titans again…" Life filled the pale oval face, a content smile gracing the young features. If he had to die today, Dick would die a happy man. Brushing past Jason, he picked up his backup. He knew what he had to do. It was time for a Robin to fly the nest and become a hawk.

Jason turned and fought to keep his rising anger out of his voice, "Leaving so soon?"

The feeling froze in his veins when Dick was once again in his face, glaring at him with the all too-familiar Batglare. Yet, the glare was a glare all in its' own. It might have originated from old Bats, but Dick had morphed it into a league of its' own. The glare held an almost cheerful taunt of confidence that started to drive Jason mad with jealously yet freeze him with fear. This was why villains cringed at the bird's name in the streets of Jump, for who could beat an optimist. Swallowing, Jason remained riveted to his spot long after Dick breezed out of his room and out of his life.

The last words hung in the air, branding themselves into his mind. A shaking hand rose and clutched tightly to the R, where his heart hammered hard against his chest.

"The moment you disgrace the uniform, I will rip those colors off of you with a smile on my face."

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A/N: Whew, ok well there's the confronation folks! Sorry if Robin was a bit out of character, but he's a bit older and wiser from his mission. Well, you know the drill! Take care and I'm off to Mens Rae.


	8. No more loopholes

Disclaimer: If a time machine existed, I wouldn't have to write this disclaimer every time. It's gets quiet annoying and hard to think of new ways to say I don't own anyone, the characters all belong to DC and Cartoon Network.

A/N: Well, here's another little treat. Don't worry, I'm working on the next chapter for Mens Rae. As for this chapter, be prepared for it is dark. The idea came from Balance in the Dark, stating how Slade always told Robin that his friends would die if he disobeyed him. And so this bad boy came to life. Enjoy!

**No more loopholes **

They were gone. All of them. In the blink of an eye, the slight shifting of the moon into the horizon, they left him. Bright souls dimmed out of existence in a blanket of eternal slumber.

He could still remember their laughter, their voices filling him with joy at finding a new family. After the familiar bickering over the last slice of pizza, the Titans had settled into watching a movie of Starfire's choice: Titanic. Her green eyes glazed over in tears as the young man held onto his lover at the bow of the ship. Beastboy and Cyborg groaned in unison. Raven peered over the edge of her book, entranced by the romantic movie but not willing to admit it. And Robin, he sat quietly on the kitchen counter, flipping through some files that needed organizing. He wasn't really doing the work nor watching the movie. Instead, he watched his friends, smiling warmly inside.

This was his family, his brothers and sisters. They would do anything for him and he would do the same in return. Nothing could shatter their bonds, their past experiences and strains revealed that. When the movie ended, each said their goodnights. Cyborg and Robin were the last to leave. The metal boy initiated the lockdown and nodded at the Boy Wonder, reminding him to get some sleep.

Robin smirked in return, locking himself in the small cave of his room. He just needed some bats and rock ledges and it would be just like home. The soft glow of the computer screen dyed out around 3:35 AM. Trudging to bed, the young man stretched out on the soft mattress. Setting the alarm to 6, he figured that would give him enough time to train in the gym before the others woke up and prepare for tomorrow's training.

Taking in a deep breath, he felt his brain ease way beyond normal. Muscles relaxed and melted further into the bed. Not having the energy to move, masked eyes dropped slowly down. Something wasn't right. He was never like this, even if he was sleep deprived. Groaning, he tried to push himself upright, but the weak limbs underneath shuddered and gave way. Collapsing once more, Robin's eyes flickered upward and finally noticed the quiet stream of a vapor pouring through the vent.

Sleeping gas.

Shadows halted before his door. Gazing downwards, Robin strained to hear their words, fighting against the effects.

"Robin's room."

"No."

"Why not?"

"He's Deathstroke's kid. No one touches the boy."

The pair walked off, the light once more sliding under the door. Robin frowned at the small bit of information. What was going on in the Tower? Who were these men? What was happening to his friends? Losing his fight, Robin felt fear engulf him as he fell into a pit of darkness.

Yanking himself over the edge, Robin panted and struggled against his sleepy mind. Forcing eyes awake, the boy could feel the warm rays of the sun peeking behind the curtains. Groaning, he stared at the clock. 6:00 PM. Frowning, he pulled himself upright and slide his feet onto the ground. Stretching out, Robin pushed off of the bed and opened his door. Peering out, he listened to the silence of the Tower.

"Guys?"

Nothing echoed in return, except for his own soft questioning voice. Shivers ran down his mind. The fear sparked his memory and images of what happened last night flashed through his mind. Running down, he skidded into the main control room and took in the empty, perfectly clean area. Spinning, his cape flowing behind him, Robin ran to the nearest bedroom.

Palming open Beastboy's room, masked eyes were greeted by a bloody mess on the bed. Backing up, Robin fought to keep his stomach contents down. His heart began to pick up; breathing became difficult as the image of what was Beastboy burned itself into his mind. Shaking, he took off to find the others. Cyborg's body was strewn about. Raven was faced down, her pale skin taking on a blue tinge.

Reaching Starfire's room, Robin's mind was stretched thin. Biting his lip till it bleed, he eased his shaking hand outwards and opened the door. He didn't bother to step into the room. One glance at her broken neck, Robin turned and walked away. Each step away from the massacre became harder. His vision faded, a pressure building in his chest made it hard to breathe.

Legs buckled and collapsed underneath him. Reaching a corner, Robin lost all strength and heaved quietly. They were gone. All gone. Wiping the corner of his mouth, he crawled back into his room. Reaching the farthest corner from the door, behind his bed, Robin lost all composure. Curling into a ball, he clenched at the raven locks and wept like he never wept before.

During the dry spells, weary masked eyes would peer over his arm and stare at the door. The young mind would picture Starfire or Raven knocking at his door, calling his name down for dinner or for a movie. He would wish to hear the loud clambering of feet running past as Cyborg and Beastboy played Stankball. Lost within the hopes and dreams of a past life he did not wish to acknowledge what lay behind closed doors, Robin mourned.

When the door swished opened and the carpet muffled footsteps, Robin did not budge. He wanted to be left alone, to die along with his friends.

"Robin."

The soft voice brightened the room; the warm innocent tone pulled him out of his misery. Tilting his head up from his knees, Robin shifted and gazed upwards. "Star-"

Eyes filled with hope froze with terror. Slade stared down at the wretched boy, the disheveled appearance accounting for the boy's three-day disappearance.

"Wh-what are you doing he-here?" croaked the boy.

Slade frowned. The anger he was expecting seemed to have died. "Considering for the past three days, the crime rate has risen and there was no sign of the Titans sparked my…interest."

Masked eyes fell to the ground. "You saw."

It wasn't a question. "Yes, I saw."

Robin felt another wave of grief threaten him. Pulling back, he yearned to go back into his own little world. But Slade would have none of it. Grabbing the boy, he pulled him onto his feet, gripping his thin arms. "You have mourned enough, Robin."

"You can never mourn enough."

"Then mourn through killing whoever is responsible."

Red-rimmed eyes moved behind the mask. The pale, withdrawn face narrowed in on itself. It was if Robin had never considered the idea. "Re-revenge?"

Slade knelt down onto one knee. He had to appear to be the good guy here. "Yes."

"Will it help?"

"It did for me." That tiny information that glimpsed to the man behind the mask was enough to catch the bird. "I can teach you many things. All you have to do is come with me."

Rising up, Slade let go of Robin's arms and led the boy, who didn't put up a fight, out of the room. They left the Tower, the stench of death beginning to plague the hallway. Once outside in the crisp air and lowering the numb-minded child into the covered boat, Slade snapped his fingers. Robots nodded and headed into the Tower to destroy it. Sitting next to the boy, Slade studied Robin who dared to gaze behind him and watch with no reaction as his home erupted in flames.

_**-That night-**_

Robin bolted awake, sweat pouring down his body. Frantically, he soaked in the barren room. That was right, he was with Slade now. Shivering, he pulled up his legs and focused on the black and orange outfit that he wore. After being forced into a shower, he let the hot water wash away the cramped muscles. Stepping out, his Robin uniform was gone, only to be replaced by the orange/black uniform of his apprenticeship, minus the S interestingly.

Sighing, he ran a hand through the drenched locks and slide his feet out from under the sheets. Feet touching the ice-cold floor, he flinched for a second before standing firmly, letting the numbness fill him once more. Walking to the door, he was surprised that it was opened and peeked into the hallway. He didn't know why but all of a sudden he wanted to see Slade, wanted the man to take away the nightmares of his dead friend's bodies…to have the man train him to kill.

"_Revenge, my dear boy, is exactly how people describe it: a dish best served cold_."

Slade's words echoed in his head, like a song stuck in his head. Bare feet pit-pattered down the endless hallways.

"_I will teach you many things Robin. I am allowing you this second chance_."

Door after door passed by him. None were locked but Robin had a fear of seeing behind open doors. An image of Beastboy, Cyborg, Raven or Starfire sizzled his mind's eye the moment the knob would click.

"_You will learn to steal and plan heists, in time to kill. When the culprits are revealed, you will have mastery over the tools and revenge will be sweet water to your parched throat_."

Robin halted. The door was locked. His old curiosity streak pushed his hand to pull out a small metal clip from his mouth. Pick-locking the knob, the door creaked open. Tilting his head to the side, Robin became his heroic self and stepped into the room.

"_In return, I ask for your gratitude. Your loyalty as my apprentice will come later if you still wish to live this life_."

The room was filled with robots he had never seen before. They were slim, entirely black with faceless masks. No mark of Slade's connection to them at all. Stepping forward to one, Robin lightly tapped one robot's mouth piece. The robot jerked to life, its' eyes fizzling on.

"No." Pause. "He's Deathstroke's kid. No one touches the boy."

Tapping the mouthpiece once more, Robin took a step back. He remembered those words like they were only an hour old. Fear crept up Robin's back. Why would Slade have these robots? Who was Deathstroke? If the boy was still in his right mind and not suffering mental trauma, the answer would be clear. Grabbing a metal blade before stepping out of the room, Robin sprinted down the hall. He needed to ask Slade something.

"Do not fret over the Titans, anymore."

Slade's emotionless voice oozed into the hall. Robin skidded to a halt, hugging himself to the wall.

"Are you sure, Deathstroke?"

"Trust me-"

A metal blade whizzed by his head and slammed into the screen, cutting off communication. Slade sighed softly and turned to face a shaking Robin standing in the doorway. But the shivering was not from fear but from pure rage.

"Yo-you ki-killed them."

Slade kept his face totally neutral. "Yes."

The raven-hair jerked up, hot tears spilling out from beneath the mask. "YOU'RE THE ONE WHO SENT THEM! YOU ORDERED THEM TO KILL THE TITANS!"

Slade shifted and began to walk towards his chair. "Yes, Robin. I must congratulate you on figuring out this much so early on." Hitting a button, a small screen revealed Robin unlocking the robot room. "You should have stayed in your room."

"Like hell! I was a fool to trust you! You kept the truth from me, Slade!" Robin stepped forward, fists clenched so hard that tiny drips of blood splattered onto the ground. "Why?"

The hot anger flickered into blue flames. Slade kept his back to Robin, yet gazed over his shoulder. "I told you, Robin, if you disobey me in the smallest request I would eliminate them and make you watch. But I felt merciful and dosed you with a sleeping agent. Yet it seems, that finding Titans did as much damage as watching them die."

"…That was a long time ago…" Robin couldn't believe his ears.

"We never truly called an official ending to your apprenticeship, Robin. Call it more of an armistice…ceasefire, but not total reconciliation."

All he heard was an inhuman growl before the soft skidding of feet on the floor. The groan and sizzling pulled Slade to glance behind and watch Robin pull free the metal blade. Flipping backwards, the boy sprung at Slade hatred spurring him on. Leaping in the air, Robin kicked out. Slade frowned in annoyance at how easy it was to block. It wasn't till Robin crouched on the ground did he notice the blade missing. Blinking his single eye peered down and took in the blade that was jutting out of his chest, slightly above his heart.

Narrowing his eye, the villain took in Robin's shocked face. It seemed not even the boy realized what he had done. Driven blind by his lust for revenge, his body took control and while kicking his wrist flicked the blade from his hand and into villain's chest.

Slade couldn't help it. Chuckling, he pulled out the blade and with a flick of his own wrist sent the blood speckling on the boy's face before letting it fly into the darkness of the room. He took a step forward. Robin shrank back. Curling into himself, Robin was about to spring away but Slade lashed out.

Locking the boy's left arm behind his back, he placed the right hand against his chest to feel the blood that was oozing out of him. Inside though, his heart pumped a bit harder yet already the cells were healing the wound. In a few minutes any evidence except a scar would remain.

Seeing the wound heal before his very eyes, Robin clenched his teeth and punched at the man's chest. "Die, just die!"

"Robin, Robin, Robin. That was a vicious, dishonorable and ruthless, you truly are my boy."

Fist stained with Slade's blood, Robin sneered, "I'm not your boy…"

"I beg to differ. You shed your first blood. You landed the killing blow. And you felt the pleasure of revenge." Slade smirked behind his mask when Robin narrowed his eyes, biting his lips. All signs hammered home Slade's point. "We are like Robin, you and I. And now with those pesky loopholes that you called friends out of the picture, there is nothing separating us anymore." Releasing his grip on Robin, Slade pulled out the metal S from his belt and pinned it on Robin's uniform, above his heart. "Master and apprentice."

Stepping back fully, Slade took in the form of his apprentice. "It has been far too long. Those colors suit you much better."

Robin took in the metal S. His bloody hand traced the cold metal leaving it stained slightly red. In his heart he did not have the energy to rip it off his chest like last time. What was the point? Slade was right. They were always alike and with the last difference between them ashes in the remains of the Tower, Robin was Slade. It was that simple. Lowering his arm, the boy who was Robin looked up at the man before him stretching out his dark wings eager to fulfill his new purpose in his life: to learn everything from his master and kill him.

Like his master said, revenge was a dish best served cold.

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A/N: Now everyone smile and be happy! Well, you know the drill and here's a cookie to cheer you up.


	9. The First

**Disclaimer: For once, I can say that the main character in here belongs to me. Yet the whole situation and everything else is Cartoon Network and DC's property.**

**A/N: **Ok, so this little guy was just some random though that entered my mind one night. When I started writing it, I had way too much fun writing it in first person, but it does shift back to third at the end. Thought I would shake things up a little.

**The First**

Our small family is growing, or was I should say. Slade has a tendency for frightening away the customers and it was usually I who had to go back and win their trust once again. But not that one time, oh no. I told myself I was going to stay out of the mess. If Slade wanted an apprentice so bad, he can march into that war zone all by himself.

I can't help but grin. It was this type of attitude that finally placed me out of Slade's graces. After all the years, after all we went through, he finally snapped and disinherited me. I wonder what finally pushed him over the edge. Was it the constant bickering? The wild teenage years? Me flittering and having relations with every female villain we came into contact with? Or was it the fact that the first contract I took was the one that ordered his death?

Let me tell ya, it wasn't easy killing Slade, or should I say Deathstroke; almost died myself. But I did, if just for a little while before his immortality kicked in and the world was once again at the mercy of Deathstroke. Yes, folks. Slade is immortal. Betcha didn't see that one coming. But this isn't about his stroke of luck of cheating death. No, you're all thinking one question: how I, Mr. Mystery Person, was able to defeat Mr. One-Eyed?

Simple.

I can sum it into three words.

I am the First.

Ok, so it's four words, but it got the point across. I am the First. The First of what you may ask? Well, that's a reasonable question, which I answer with pride. I am the first student Slade took under his wing. That's right folks. I was the first apprentice. Mind you, he never truly called me apprentice and I never truly called him master. It was more of a partnership, sidekick sort of deal. I covered his back and helped him with his jobs and he trained me.

We made a pair. Those were the good times. Me, Slade and Wintergreen running around the world playing with people as if Earth was our little playground. Of course, I wasn't allowed to play with the big boys, like the flying Boy Scout or Pointy Ears but I was content with it. Till, I hit my late teens and wanted to fly the coup. Hence the bickering and killing him part. I'll spare you all the guts, for I don't think you would be able to handle it all, especially those of innocent minds.

Anyways, after that Deathstroke found me and beat me into an inch of me life. Finally, after all the dancing around, he disowned me and stripped me of my position. So, I'm left there all alone with no identity or family, no nothing. And what, do you ask, does a beaten, dying, 20 something year old do?

It's elementary, my dear Watson.

I recovered and became my own man. I'm one of the top assassins now in the world, hired regularly by Luthor and own a beautiful house in the Italian Alps. I know Slade knows it's me and I think on some level he is a bit proud. Gasp! I know if he ever found out that I said such a thing, I would be shot in the head. But he doesn't know and I am safe to assume that I am right because I'm still living and breathing. You see, you know you are in the safe zone when you're breathing in and out every minute, while Slade is breathing down your neck.

I think another reason that I'm alive and kickin' is because of Slade's little obsession to find an apprentice. An official apprentice mind you, despite me being unofficial I still claim first dibs. I was surprised mind you, when Wintergreen called me up and told me of Slade's hunt. Hurt was my first emotion, but that soon past because I am glad I am no longer his little shadow. Wintergreen asked of my opinion and I paused. All I could think of was who would be able to handle all the strain and demands from such a criminal mastermind? It is not an easy job, even for someone who has started from the wrong side of the law.

The first name that slipped out of my mouth was Robin. Sorry Kid. I know, I know. The boy is hero, so what. Any hero can have his wings clipped. Sorry again, Kid. The reason I thought of him was because he was the only one who fit the criteria. Slade and Batman are eerily alike and if Boy Wonder could survive under Bats' wing, then he could survive under Slade…hopefully. Sorry Kid, but it's true.

Wintergreen chuckled and said that Slade actually had his eye on the boy for some time now in Jump City and was constantly testing him. With that much said, our conversation ended but I was intrigued. Slade liked to test people and I was curious as to what test his genius mind concocted for the boy.

So, I traveled to Jump City and spied on all the events. The probes were a brilliant strike. Seeing the boy in Slade's colors seemed like a dream. It was as if Robin was meant to be Slade's heir. However, his friends were a problem and Robin was lost to us. The criminal world lost a major battle that day.

I became obsessed with trying to figure out a way to win Robin back. I plunged headfirst into Slade's mess once again, even after I told myself I wouldn't. The man owes me big time. No way in hell was a prize like that, going back into his little golden cage that easily. I was surprised and disappointed when Slade seemed to loose interest in Robin and took on another apprentice. Terra was her name. Let me tell ya, I saw it right away, that girl spelled disaster. There were flashing lights over her head yet Slade ran right past it and tried to control her. In the end, it cost him his life and blah, blah, blah he returned once more with Demon Breath. I can't tell you much after that, considering I was stone at the moment.

However, out of everything that has happened, I have only one regret. And that was not seeing Robin go berserk. No offense, kid. News spread quickly when it was whispered that Robin had a bit of a breakdown and supposedly it was some hallucinogen dust that did the trick. It was said that he was seeing Slade, when everyone knew he was dead. I smile at this. I must say, Robin, you surprised me once more. Out of the entire city, only you and I knew deep down that Slade would rise from the dead. We have such faith in the man, don't we?

And at this small insight, I conclude this little rant. Robin, Robin. If only you were reading this. If it makes any difference, I was writing this while sitting across from your bed, watching you toss and turn, mumbling Slade every few minutes. The man has truly left a mark on you, as he has done to me. If anything, we are the halves that make Slade whole. Us, the two apprentices: one disowned, the other in denial. Oh, yes you are Robin. You are in denial. I know you secretly enjoyed being a villain for once. Big Brother knows everything.

So, I end with this little message, for I have decided against my better judgment to leave this on your desk. If hero life becomes too boring and you want a taste of the exotic, but don't want to return under Slade's shadow—which would be beneficial to your health—come find me and I'll take you in. Promise.

Later,

The First

_A tall, dark brown clad man lowered the small notepad onto Robin's clustered but organized desk. Tsking quietly, he kicked himself mentally for deciding to leave the paper behind, but if it worked in bringing back Robin then so be it. He might endure Slade's wrath again, but he knew he wouldn't die from it. The man was short on apprentices again and soon he would need a male heir for his empire. And why not ask the one who was the first to begin with, who stayed loyal till his time came?_

_A whimper came from the bed. Sharp, dark forest green eyes snapped to the bed. Robin groaned and tossed once more in bed, pulling up a sheet to cover his shivering body. Amusement glittered in the eyes. With a swoosh of his cloak, the assassin stepped up on the windowsill and peered down at the raven-haired boy. They might not be related by blood, but the pains endured by their one-time master created a strong enough bond, even if it was only one sided for now._

_"I'll be watching you, little brother." Nothing more to say, the assassin slipped out of the window._

-----------

A/N: Well, let me know what you think of this guy and if you liked the change in voice. If it stunk, then that will let me know to stay clear of first person. But I thought, heck why not do it once to get some practice in. Any hoot, hope you enjoyed and _**crosses fingers**_ I might post a new chappie of Mens Rae up this week. Later!


	10. Dangerous

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these guys.

A/N: Yo, everyone. A short little drabble here and today's stars Red X!

**Dangerous **

"_Ah, the good little boy who likes dangerous toys_."

Dr. Chang's voice echoed in Robin's head as he was once again perched on the rooftop of Titan's Tower. Masked eyes lowered themselves as they took on the harsh reflection of the setting sun on the bay. The air was still, the thick humidity making his outfit cling to his skin, the sweat acting as glue. Downstairs, he heard Beastboy and Cyborg arguing over what to watch, while Starfire was trying to coax Raven to go shopping with her tomorrow at the mall.

Sighing, he sagged his shoulders, closing the masked eyes. The warmth of the sun seeped into his skin and for a moment, Robin wanted to rip off his mask and just pretend to be a seven year-old basking on the grassy hill with his dad laying next to him, tossing the football in the air while his mom sat down next to them, organizing the small picnic.

Shaking his head, Robin broke free from the memory as the sun sank behind the tall scrapers, bringing an unsuspected chill to encompass him. Lifting his eyes with weariness too young for a teenager, Robin turned to stand up when a red blade embedded itself next to him. Robin pulled out his bowstaff to block the next blow, but none came. Instead, a pair of black boots leapt to stand next to him. A minute later, a black clad figure sat next to him, swinging his legs over the ledge, watching the now dusky sky.

"So, chuckles…"

"What are you doing here?" Robin couldn't help it as malice laced his words, body still poised for an attack.

Red X tilted his head and gazed at the hero. "Geez, you're worse than a girl when The Friend comes to visit. Earlier today, you were all happy and grateful that I came and saved your little tail feathers."

Robin scoffed, "Believe whatever you want to." Realizing that the criminal wasn't a threat, Robin disable his staff and sat back down, staring hard at X.

The villain chuckled, "But still…I must admit it was fun whipping that scrawny man's butt, though. Did you see the look on his face when we came running down his big telescope? I swear he was about to go to the bathroom right then and there."

A small tugged at Robin's smile and he couldn't help but let a light laugh escape his throat. "Yeah, that was priceless."

"I just can't believe a guy with such a pity excuse of a mustache and outfit was able to almost kick your guys' butt. I mean you're the Teen Titans, feared throughout the nine lands of…of…" Red X trailed off, his masked eyes narrowing in contemplation.

Robin focused on X and for the first time took him in entirely. The slim black outfit that was resistant to most substances plus a cloaking device. Not to mention all the crazy tools that he had invented that X probably would never find or get a hang of. And lastly, the skull mask took on a fear-inspiring glint as the moon began to rise behind them, making the sky fall into a dark blue. Robin remembered the first time he wore the suit and stood in front of the mirror. It was an exhilarating thrill ride and sense of accomplishment that he achieved something so…sinister. And now sitting beside it from the outside, he felt that same pride swell inside of him.

He felt X grin at him, the playful tone back. "Am I that good-lucking? Heck, if Starfire's standards are based on the likes of you, then I'm so gonna win."

A snarl escaped Robin's lips as he jerked his head away and gazed back at the water. "You stay away from Starfire. And if you don't leave in the next five seconds, I'm taking back my suit."

"Oooo, is it that Robin is missing the suit?" Red X laughed as he stood, "Sorry, bird boy but I own the suit now. Just wanted to tell you thanks and be grateful your little masterpiece ain't rotting anywhere." With that the villain vanished into the air, not pressing his luck with Robin's seemingly good mood.

Waiting in silence for the next few minutes, Robin shivered as he pulled himself to his feet, jerking out the red x. Staring at the blade, he couldn't help but grin. X was right in a way that he was glad that the suit was being used and that the temptation to put it on again was gone. But, Dr. Chang had hit the right note last night. The suit was one of the most dangerous tools…no toys, because with toys one received a sense of pleasure that did not accompany the usage of a tool. And Robin knew deep down that he loved being Red X. Turning, he began to make his way to door, tucking the X in his belt. Thankfully though, Robin wasn't stupid. Like a good little boy, he kept his suit and belt together in one neat compartment. But like any true child, he had kept his favorite weapons…toys…closer to him, hidden away from all prying eyes.

Red X might have the suit, but Robin had the toys. And tonight, Robin coughed lightly as he opened the door, he felt the temptation to play swell inside of him. Weapons that he created specifically for Red X were calling to him to be let of their box and to be played with. Maybe when the Titans weren't looking or asleep, he could sneak out and test them out against their main target.

Yes, that sounded like a plan. Tonight, he would play for once in his life. He would test his hidden weapons against Red X. He couldn't just let a criminal like that waltz in and out of the Tower without some kind of punishment. Glancing at his watch, he estimated he gave the young thief a ten minute start. That should be enough time for the criminal to think he was home free before Robin would find and arrest him.

Like the doctor said, he liked dangerous toys but he was no good little boy.

--------------

A/N: I know this was pretty short, but I always liked that line from Dr. Chang and felt like doing something with it.


	11. All I want for Christmas

A/N: First off, I hope everyone had a wondeful Christmas and that Santa was good to you guys. I thought this drabble up in the plane. I guess at so many thousand feet in the air, a crack drabble is bound to happen. So this is a X-Mas one, a bit late but hey it's still the holiday season. It's kinda based on the movie A Christmas Story. In that one, the main character wants a bee-bee gun but everyone keeps telling that he will shoot his eye out. So this one is like that but Teen Titan's style.

**All I want for Christmas**

In a dark room, no cheerful Christmas lights hung with care around the window. On the hooks, there were no signs of a stocking or snowflakes. Even the mistletoe was absent over the door. But, when one left this room, the Teen Titan's Tower burst into the holiday spirit with decorations strewn about and a massive tree lite for all to see.

Sitting in his room, Robin's masked eyes were wide and drooped slightly down. The perfection of the puppy-dog stare. Bearing the full-brunt of the pitiful, begging stare, Batman sent the sternest stare ever created on the face of the planet.

"No."

"Buuuutttt Battttttmannnn-"

"I said no and that's my final answer."

"But why? It's not like I ask for much," whined Robin.

"Titans Tower, medical supplies, weaponry, a new training course, electric bills, food, may I go on?" questioned Batman in a sarcastic-like tone.

"No," mumbled Robin, dropping the puppy-dog stare approach and already trying to figure out another way to penetrate Batman's defenses. But, he knew from past experiences, that this would be another failure to rack up into his pile.

"Good. Now-"

"BUT BATMAN, it's a high powered, obsidian laced, stainless steel, retractable, portable, waterproof and acid-free coating boomerang!" Robin knew he sound like a little child, but he was past the point of caring. This was the only gift he truly wanted in a long time and he would fight tooth and nail to get it.

"Robin-" The dropping temperature in Batman's tone went unaccounted for.

"Come on, it would be useful. You know how much you're on my case with all the bird-a-rangs I leave throughout the city. With this-"

"You'll chop your head off."

Without so much of a goodbye or a Merry Christmas, Batman cut communication. Robin groaned and threw his hands up in the air in total defeat. Sagging back into his chair, the Boy Wonder stared at the picture of his beloved 4X-TYG boomerang. He had first stumbled upon his dream toy when flipping through a survival magazine. From the first moment on, he knew he had to have it. And since Christmas was coming up and Alfred had asked what he wanted, Robin thought this would be the perfect opportunity. Yeah right.

"Scourge," sneered Robin at the computer.

Caught up deep in his sulking, Robin wasn't prepared at all for what happened next. The door to his room slammed opened scaring the living day lights out of Robin. Leaping five feet into the air, gravity kicked in and he fell hard breaking the chair. Clutching hard at his chest where his heart was pounding hard, Robin gasped, "Wh-What?"

Starfire blasted into his room, hauling Robin onto his feet before dragging him outside. "Robin, your help is most needed!"

"Star-Star! Calm down!"

Starfire turned to face her teammate and Robin felt himself melt under those huge, worried filled green eyes. Sighing in defeat, Robin muttered, "What's the problem?"

"Cyborg did the triple of the dogging dare on Beastboy."

Robin slapped himself on the forehead and yanked himself free of Star's iron grip. He could already see where this was going. It didn't take a detective to figure it out.

"Beastboy had to stick his tongue onto the metal flagpole outside and..."

"Great."

But Starfire didn't hear Robin's muttered word and continued on as if the end of the world was coming. The two stepped outside and spotted a wailing Beastboy, arms failing about as he tried to unstick himself. Cyborg was laughing his head off and Raven just continued to roll her eyes and demean the youngest member. Robin walked up, shivering and kicking himself that he didn't grab a coat. It was 25 degrees Fahrenheit and it wouldn't do him any good catching a cold. The winter weather didn't seem to bother Star in her normal attire as she zoomed up to the Changeling.

"Beastboy, Robin will help."

"Yemph righmph," groaned Beastboy. "Likmph ah martiah artzzz wilv helph."

Robin took one look at the pole before turning around and marching back in the Tower. Starfire yelled after him, "Robin?"

"Just calling the Fire Department." Robin waved his hand and walked back into the nice, warm Tower.

An hour later, after all the paper work and enduring all the amused looks from Jump's Fire Department, a blurry-eyed Beastboy flopped down on the couch. His tongue was hanging out, covered in a white bandage. "Thisth, suckth."

"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that when one sticks their tongue on a cold metal pole, that it will stick," smarted Raven, who was perched on a chair reading a book with a cup of tea cooling off next to her.

Robin clapped his hands together and began to rub them, "Well. Since it seems like a little peace has come, I'm gonna be in my room." With that he bolted out of the room before Starfire could bombard him with pleading looks to try her homemade egg nog. With Robin gone and Cyborg out to pick up the turkey, Starfire gazed down in the bubbling mass of white with green polk-a-dots liquid.

"Guessth, you scaredth him offth," grinned Beastboy as he put on How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Star sighed, "I guess. Friend Raven, surely you wish to try this nog of the egg?"

The bright-eyed alien loomed in front of the Goth girl, who merely lowered herself deeper into her book. "I'm allergic."

-----

In his room, Robin was pleading with Alfred, "Come on, please!"

"Sorry, Master Grayson. I was strictly told not to. Besides, you'll hurt yourself."

Robin whimpered, wished a weak Merry Christmas and signed off. Banging his head on the desk, the Boy Wonder's mind went into high-speed mode trying to figure out who he could convince. He would have bought the weapon himself but he had to be 18 years old or older. He could fake an ID, but the company did a way too in-depth background check and highly restrictive selection that it would be a bit too hard to penetrate. Not to mention shipping the box straight to Teen Towers, Wayne Manor or some remote location would scream more checking procedures, thus that was out of the question. So, the question was which person had such a giving heart, didn't question much and always wanted to make him happy due to living with the Bat?

Eyes snapped opened. Of course! Dialing the connection, Robin began to tap his feet on the floor to the song "You're a mean on Mr. Grinch," which Beastboy had blaring from the lobby. Thanking his lucky stars, a man with a blue chest and a flowing red cap answered the call.

"Robin! This is a surprise," exclaimed Superman. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, everything's peachy. But hey, can I ask you a favor?"

"Sure."

"Can you buy for me a 4X-TYG boomerang? I'll send you all the info."

Superman blinked, caught completly by suprise. "You want a weapon?"

"It's for Batman. You know how hard it is to shop for the guy," lied Robin, keeping his face on its' cheerful mode.

Superman shook his regal head and frowned at the boy, but his blue eyes were shining with laughter. He could see straight through the lie. "Sorry, Robin but those things are dangerous. You're likely to chop off your head. Look, I gotta run. Merry Christmas."

The screen went black leaving Robin alone in his room. Gritting his teeth, Robin's hands clenched hard on his knees. That idiot was his last chance. Pushing himself out off his chair, Robin knew he needed to clear his head. Trudging out of his room, he vented some steam by murmuring Romanian curses. Batman must have reached the man in blue, meaning that he could no longer contact anyone in the superhero business. And he couldn't contact a civilian, because it would take way too long for them to receive the weapon. The only option was to go beyond his circle of contacts. He would need to contact a top weapons dealer, someone who had major connections.

Snapping his fingers, Robin laughed as his last resort came into focus. The happy smile faded quickly when he realized what he was doing. "Is it truly worth it?" questioned Robin before scowling, "Of course it is!"

Pushing away the doubt, Robin stepped into the lobby where he saw a crying Cyborg on the floor. A laughing Beastboy, an irritated Raven and a worrisome Starfire all clustered around the robot.

"What happened?"

The Titans all jerked their heads up to their leader, who stood before them hands on his hips. Cyborg burst out into more tears.

Raven shook her head, "Cyborg was attacked by a bunch of hungry dogs."

"My beautiful turkey, all gone, all gone!" mourned Cyborg.

Star patted the older boy on the back, "What shall we do now?"

Beastboy smirked, "Well, there's only one place open."

----

The five teenagers found themselves sitting around a familiar yellow round table at the pizzeria. No one else was around except for an elderly man way off in the corner. Pointing out that it was Christmas, each Titan ordered his or her own pizza to avoid any bickering.

"Here are your pizzas, you douchbags," sneered Gizmo as he slides the multiple personal pizzas on the table.

Beastboy raised his eyebrows, "Since when do you work here?"

"Only today and oh," snapped Gizmo. The other hive members popped up behind the bald kid. Bursting out in out-of-sync painful singing, the villains sang to their hearts content, "Jingle Bells, Batman smells!"

Robin leapt from his chair, "Titans go!" His shout covered the line "Robin laid an egg", preventing his friends from hearing the rest of the song. His team leapt up from their chairs and tackled head on with the Hive. Knowing that his team could handle the situation, Robin flipped over the edge quietly and exited the scene. Sneaking through the alleys, his feet carried him to his location.

Finding the abandoned underground warehouse was easy. It took him a few more minutes to bypass the security system. The metal door hissed open and Robin slide through the crack. Tiptoeing through the halls, Robin finally found his target standing atop a platform, his straight back facing the entrance. Walking up the stairs, Robin swallowed hard and straightened his back. Stopping at the top, Robin was about to speak when the man turned.

The single gray eye didn't express any emotion what so ever, "This is a surprise. Have you come to bring me the perfect Christmas gift?"

Robin scoffed, "No. Look, let's make this short and sweet."

"But I so miss our conversations," mused Slade as he set down his tools and gave Robin his full attention. "I wonder what brings you here if not to reconsider your decision as being my apprentice."

Robin bit his lip and fought against the rising anger, "Well, there's something else. Something I need to ask you."

"Oh."

Through gritted teeth, Robin forced himself to ask the dreadful question. "Can. You. Please. Buy. For. Me. A 4X-TYG Boomerang?"

Slade blinked unsure if he had just heard right, "What?"

"All I want for Christmas is a boomerang and you're the only guy I have left who can buy me one! So can you do it?" yelled Robin, his cheeks now flaming red for having to ask the question twice.

The criminal closed his eye and chuckled, "You truly are a child."

"I am not!" fumed Robin.

"Do I look like Santa Claus to you, Robin? Now, if this is truly what you wanted to ask me, my answer is no. Go, you're wasting my time."

Robin felt the world drop below him. This could not be happening. Pushing away any pride, Robin feel onto his knees, "Slade I'm begging you, please! I'll do anything, anything! Steal, fight even ignore any of your heists. Just please, help me out this once."

Slade regarded Robin's frame with joy. His Christmas wish had come true, for all he had wanted was Robin begging. But this whole situation was bizarre. "As much as I like you suffering, I still have to say no." Placing a foot on the boy's left shoulder; the villain smirked, letting his eye glitter in cold mockery. "Besides, you'll chop your head off." With that, he pushed Robin down the flight of stairs.

-----

The walk back to the Tower was painful. Rubbing his sore back, Robin muttered himself all the curses he could think of and more at Slade. By the time he reached the door, all the venting was replaced by depression. Shoulders sagged down, Robin walked through the Tower. The Titans were already fast asleep in their rooms. Star had left him a note on the counter, telling him his pizza was in the fridge. But, the superhero wasn't hungry. He never in a million years thought he would have heard that same dreaded sentence, "You'll chop your head off" from his most hated and more revered teachers. Walking up to the roof, Robin watched out over Jump City into the early morning.

Christmas morning was an explosion. By the time, Robin entered the main lobby; all the presents except for his were opened. Beastboy and Cyborg were already pouring over their new controls zooming through a new video game. Raven was starting a new book and Starfire was admiring her apron. Opening his presents, Robin smiled and thanked everyone for the Stressbuster Bat and a framed picture of another group photo.

Getting up, he excused himself, saying that he needed a shower. Upon entering his room, masked eyes zoomed in on a present laid with care on his pillow. Walking upon it, he eyed the card. "From Santa."

Opening the box with the care of a bomb expert, Robin's frown moved upwards into a big smile. In his hand was the 4X-TYG Boomerang.

-----------------------------

A/N: Well, Happy Holidays once again!


	12. Dare

Disclaimer: 2008 and I don't own the Titans except the girl, Gwen, is mine.

A/N: Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all had a blast. Mine was good, got to watch the Twilight Zone marathon. Well, I thought I would kick off the new year with something I've never done before...romance. Yes, that's right folks, I said the R word. Now mind you, there will be no mushy, Romeo/Juilet love scenes or make-out scenes or any wild, big proclamations of love. Blah. Instead, I thought I tackle the romance on a different level of love. So, if none of you are scared off, continue and read at your own risk. Lol.

**Dare **

Robin dared to love someone, even if she never knew of it.

One would think that surrounded by powerful strong women, he would have fallen in love with one them. The witty, brilliant detective Batgirl back in Gotham, with her flowing red-hair cascading out of the black cowl swinging throughout the city with a gymnasts' grace. She had been Robin's first crush and still held a special place in his heart. But they shared too much together and in the end, she sided with Batman. Not once did Robin cry.

Now in Jump City, a couple years older, a century wiser, Robin dared to try anew. Once again, a red-hair woman caught his eyes. Her bright-green eyes full of curiosity, her orange skin always glowing, the alien Starfire eagerly returned his feelings that he had been fighting for months. Her strength in hugs pained him, but Robin revealed it with a smile. Her constant questions tugged at his patience to explain every aspect of Earth culture. And her protection over him drove Robin to think that he is once again under Batman's wing. Even though their relationship is official, Robin dared to act her expectations and knew that such a superficial relationship won't last forever.

Behind the alien's back, Robin turned his attention on another woman in his world. Her pale skin and quiet manner is like the moon compared to the sun that is Starfire. Raven's violet eyes peered up from underneath the hood and gazed at the Boy Wonder with understanding. She sent a small wave of reassurance when Starfire asks him to taste one of her planet's popular dishes. Raven knew of his secrets, of the time before the Titans and he fiound gratitude in it. Sometimes, Robin laid awake and thinks if he should dare to love her. But, Robin knew that nothing will become of their friendship. She is too quiet for him, too wary on her emotions, too dark yet she is not as dark as he. Flashing a smile at Starfire, the young man gently told the aline that he's full and slides off the stool, allowing relief to numb his mind.

---------

Months passed and Robin surveyed the city from his perch above the church steeple, needing to be detached from earthly bonds. Ironically, Starfire, not he, had called their relationship off. To everyone's surprise, a couple weeks later, she and Aqualad began dating. It started a chain reaction: Cyborg and Bumblebee, Beastboy and Terra, Raven and Harold, Batgirl and Speedy and lastly Kid Flash and Jinx. Robin merely gave his congratulations to everyone. Bored, the superhero dared to bet with himself of which couple would be the first to break up. But the months tick by and it seems that the couples grew fonder of each other. Cyborg and Bumblebee improved the training facilities. Beastboy and Terra tracked down minor villains. Raven and Harold established allies with others throughout the universe. Batgirl and Speedy strengthened the bonds with the Justice League. Kid Flash and Jinx created a global network.

Everything moved forward and Robin felt that he is standing to the sidelines, watching life move forward. Of course, he continued to investigate the major villains, occasionally looking for Slade, but otherwise all is calm. Eventually, his mind dared his heart to stop looking for companionship.

Now the bird found himself gazing at the street below. Robin mused that if he continued this path, he would be just like Batman: alone and bitter. But he can't push himself out of this runt. Hearing voices, Robin took in a group of five students walking towards the church. One girl walked before the group, keeping an eye on their surroundings. Instict warned her of the dangers that occured once the sky sheds its' curtain. Behind her, the friends chatter, two couples by how they hold their hands. Halting, she stood before the church doors and read the name. Her friends continue onwards, oblivious to her.

Robin soaked in the girl, his breathing slowing down as if his breath would blow her away. He didn't know why, but there was something in the way she gazed studiously at the church that made time freeze. Tilting her head up, her coal eyes peered calmly into the night sky as if searching for him. A holler pierced the air and she sighed before jogging up to catch up to her friends. Not taking his eyes off of her, Robin dared to hope.

-----

A new routine began. When Robin patrolled te city, he stopped at the church, waiting for her. But she never came. Eventually, on a night he isn't looking for her, Robin spotted her at the library researching. He smiled and chuckled at the topics of the books. Time moves and when he burned in embarrassment, boiled in rage or drowned in depression Robin closed his eyes and pictured her reading a book. Her black eyes scanned behind the thin-framed glasses soaking up every word. Her sun-kissed skin glowed with a natural love of the outdoors. Thick hair matching her eyes is tied up in a ponytail. It hung lightly down her neck; natural curls danced over slim shoulders. She is average. She is quiet but with her friends, her outgoing, old-fashion humor sparkled off those eyes. She is studious, knows what she wants in life and goes after it with a fierce, stubborn nature that sometimes left Robin wide-eyed.

Some would call her plain in the light of the other females that grace his world. Why would he love a human, no one extraordinary? And there lay the answer, for she is the normalcy that he yearned for. Her uniqueness made her stick out like a lighthouse for his stranded existence. Robin dared to love a woman that he must keep secret, for he does not want her light to burn out when thrust into his world.

But that line is thin. One night, Robin followed her quietly after she left library. It was dark and while her hand held onto a pocketknife it was dangerous for her to be alone. The black-hair figure stopped at the crosswalk, allowing Robin to take a quick break up at the roof's ledge. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a slithering figure make its way to the girl. From the street lamp, the dull light hit the metal blade just right for it to shine catching Robin's attention and the girl, who spotted it in the reflection of her glasses.

The girl is about to run when she heared a whoosh and a loud thud. Turning, she watched as broken bird-a-rang slide up to her feet. Robin paid no attention to her bending form as he tied the mugger up to the street lamp. Taking a step back, Robin remembered that he had not heard any footsteps running. Glancing over his shoulder, Robin felt his very blood freeze, when she walked up to him and handed him the broken weapon.

"Thank you," the soft, warm voice with an undistinguishable accent washed over his ears.

Robin felt his mouth go dry, "I-uh, thank you." Reaching out, he reclaimed the bird-a-rang.

"I guess the stalking paid off."

Surprise beamed off his face. "…y-yeah."

A small smile ended their conversation.

----

The next time she left late at night, Robin resumed his new job of following her home. He had gotten a call of a robbery downtown, but the Titans radioed and said they would take care of it. After their first conversation, Robin couldn't help but feel terrible. He was stalking her. Heck, he was surprised she didn't call the cops earlier. That and he was shocked she even noticed him. Walking up to the front door, the girl paused and looked upwards right at his crouching figure.

"You hungry?"

Robin is about to protest but his stomach growls. Leaping down, he stood at her side frowning slightly and gazed downwards. His fingers played with the edge of his cape. He felt like a naughty school boy in front of her. "So-sorry, for stalking you."

"It saved my life, so I think we're about even." She grinned, "It's good old fashion home cooking."

The ice broke. Gazing up at her face, Robin laughed nervously, "Like my mom use to say, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach."

A puzzled look befell her young face before she realized the connection, "Oh. Well…um…I can sneak some food out, if it makes you uncomfortable. I doubt you want to meet the folks. That and...um...you might not have time...with crime fighting and all."

The measured words betrayed her own nervous nature. Robin shifted, feeling a bit out of place at the mention of parents. "Maybe some other time, you should spend time with your parents. Just start asking for a ride home or something."

She nodded, "Will do."

"Bye."

Launching his grabbling hook, air rushed past his body but it didn't muffle her soft goodbye.

-----

Months passed and they never talked again, but he still watched her from a distance. She took his word and rode home with a friend or left the library earlier. Then one day, after a long battle that had taken him across the US, she was gone. Doing a bit of 'researching,' he realized that she was attending college somewhere in the world. Despair swelled inside the superhero. Robin had grown accustomed to watching her and the small winks and smiles she would send up his way. Feeling that the ground was ripped from underneath him, the lost bird pushed himself deeper and deeper into his work.

--------

Time changed things; couples fell apart. Feeling a chance to join to the group once more, Robin sought that special sparkle that she held in the female superhero community. But none hold it. He dared himself to find a substitute, but they all end in heartaches.

In his prime, Robin once again fought a new wave of villains with a regrouped Teen Titans. Though now going with a new name and outfit, Robin falls easily into command. One the eve of the massive battle, old couples regrouped and he is once again left out in the cold. Robin's broken heart swelled and he left the Tower to patrol but also to fall into the old habit of trying to find his special someone. It wasn't even midnight when a familiar villain appeared. Slade taunted and it only took three words to send Robin attacking the man, venting out all of his frustrations. He dared and did fall into the killing mode. Just as he is about to deliver the final blow that would kill Slade, Robin saw her tilted face gazing up the side of the church explode in his mind. The fist froze in midair, giving enough time for Slade to take the offensive.

A few earth-shattering punches and kicks later, Robin staggered out of the battlefield defeated once more. Feet moving on their own, the bleeding hero trudged into the dark only to find himself at the feet of the church. Collapsing at the base of the stairs, Robin ran a hand over the very place she stood years ago. A chock raked his ribs and tears stung his eyes. If Slade's wounds wouldn't kill him, then his bleeding heart would.

Falling forward, Robin dared to smell her presence, but rain and pollution washed away any trace of her mark. Closing his eyes, Robin fell into a dreamless sleep. Light footsteps halting near him cracked opened his eyes open. Curious, Robin gazed upwards. His heart stopped beating. She is before him, maturity fitting her like a pair of wings. She tilted her head to the side slightly allowing him to see that all-familiar ponytail. Her hair is a little shorter, but her curls make it bounce with more life. Struggling to sit-up right, his mind replayed situations. He heared a Batgirl remark of 'Where is a camera when I need it!' to Starfire's spoutings of concern spilling from her lips to Raven's emotionless offering of her hand to help pull him back to his feet. Instead, she moved into a crouch, her eyes narrowing in concentration. Sliding her backpack off, she pulled out a roll of bandages and pressed a patch to his bleeding side.

Robin wanted to respond when her eyes flashed up to his, that optimistic sparkle he always searched knocking his breath away. They tell him that everything will be alright. Old-soul as they might be, her eyes gazed back down at his wound, a result of the streak of shyness that hung around her aura. Wrapping the white fabric around his chest, she started to hum silently. Grunting, Robin shifted into an easier position for her, taking in the rough but small hands as her smell and simple tone washed over him like crystal water.

"My name is Gwen."

Her voice, maybe deeping slightly but sounding heavenily the same, shattered the silence in the precise strike of the most skilled fighters.

Standing back, she slung the pack over her shoulders, the army desert camouflage pants and dark blue shirt sending up a small dust cloud, screaming archaeologist out at him. He should have known. She always had a love for the past. Nodding a thank-you he stood shakily upon his feet. Daring to look straight into her face, he felt his eyes widen. Understanding shone in her eyes.

Despite the change of uniform to black and blue, Gwen knew who he used to be.

Like she knew that it was him watching her, she knew that Nightwing was her Robin. After their goodbye that fateful night, Gwen would catch a flicker of his cape and smile, keeping her knowledge secret. Never once did she work up the courage to speak to him again and neither did he. Both were afraid to cross the line completely and risk their silent companionship. As he searched fruitlessly for a way to replace her, she locked herself away from any romance to keep that companionship treasured forever.

Knowing that all was out in the open, Robin offered his hand. He couldn't stand to lose her again. His body told as much and the woman couldn't help but smile softly. Gazing down at the black gloved hand, Gwen knew that if she took his hand that their...relationship...would rise to another level. A level where their worlds would no longer be seperated by comforting silence but would merge by a simple touch. She blinked slowly, uncertainty flickering over her face.

"I barely know you," she whispered.

"Me too, despite my..." trailed off Robin, his cheeks almost becoming a bright shade of red in the dark.

Gwen raised her eyebrow and smirked shyly, "Stalking."

"Y-yeah," coughed Robin. He still couldn't believe he sometimes was almost tongue-tied with her. "But look, I've missed you...a lot...despite us not barely talking and...well, I would love to know you more. If anything, we can be-be friends, but I want you to know, that I want us to be something more. You-you make me feel normal."

Gwen bit the side of her lip, her face scrunching up slightly as she pondered over his words. "You make me feel special," she mumbled, not sure if she wanted Robin to hear her words.

Knowing fully what she had said, Robin tilted his head, "What?"

Taking a deep breath, Gwen dared the jump and took his hand and all that would accompany him. Smiling, she shifted underneath him, so that the wounded hero could lean on her. Guiding him, she walked up to the church doors and opened them. "I said, this better not be how we keep meeting each other. Bandages can be expensive you know."

Robin grinned, "Well, I'm prone to accidents."

"Me too," mused Gwen.

"So I guess, we'll just have to run our own store or something," joked Robin.

Gwen laughed and Robin felt the tension ease away. It was like riding a bike, except this time he felt that he wouldn't fall off this time. Stepping through the doors, she felt Robin pause. The man took in the building before staring down into her eyes. Raising his hand, Robin gently squeezed Gwens' telling her that he would stick by her side. He would bear all the ups and downs from her life, anything to keep that optimistic flame burning. Gwen smiled at him and Robin smiled back, their quiet love warming each other in the cold threshold of the church.

Robin dared to love and Gwen dared to love him back.

-------------------------

A/N: Whew, glad I got this out of my system. Ok then, the next drabble I can tell you guys will be back to my norm. Well, you know the drill. And Happy New Years!


	13. A red glass of revenge

Disclaimer: Don't own the Titans, they belong to DC and Cartoon Network.

A/N: Alright, this idea behind this drabble came from rewatching "Robin's Reckoning" from The Batman Animated Series-which is an awesome cartoon show, if you haven't seen it you should. Anyways, Robin in the series is a college student who is a bit more calm and with Batman takes down Zucco. That is when I thought: what if we were dealing with the Robin from Teen Titans-the hot, ill-tempered boy with no Batman present to tell him what to do and with experiences with Slade under his belt...and thus I wrote this drabble :)

**A red glass of revenge**

Golden blood rays seeped onto the boardwalk, staining tents with the tint of dusk. The circus was in town. The big top bellowed in a soft ocean breeze. The animals were fast asleep, worn out from the opening act. All was peaceful until...

A man ran down the docks, his breath escaping in haggard gasps. The brown suit flapped in the wind, pushing the blue tie into his sweat-drenched face. Itching hands tore the tie off his face and suit, tossing the fabric onto the planks. Wild black eyes with heavy bags and dark lines grazed the air in front of him. Spotting an abandoned funnel-cake stand, black dress shoes skidded to the left. Palming the counter, the middle-aged man hopped over the counter and crouched down on the ground.

Panting, he sat shivering in total fear in the darkness. Hands clutched at his pant legs, white knuckles revealing the intense scattered brain fear that rolled off of him. He heard the teenagers' voices float on above him. They were chattering about something, but he paid little attention. They were not the ones he was afraid of. They were just little brats, nothing but small fish in a sea of sharks.

As the voices drifted faint in the air, the man let himself close his eyes in relief. He would wait it out till the moon came up. That time didn't fast enough. Tense for hours, he waited in the shadows of the stand. If he had known he would be on the run, the man would have never came to Jump City. It was suppose to be just a regular heist with the mob bosses. Get in; sell the drugs, pay up their dues and leave.

But someone had ratted them out and the Titans came crashing through the front doors. His black eyes would have been awed, yet they had zoomed in on the small but strong figure in the front. That jet black hair, colorful uniform, R symbol, chest thrust out riveted his attention. He had seen Robin before, but from a distance. Then it hit him. If Robin was here, then where was the big bad Bat? Shivering in fear, he had taken steps back, eyes flying up into the rafters. The Batman had a thing out for him and he didn't know why.

"Run, it's the Titans!" yelled one of the men.

"_Titans_?" The word hadn't registered in his brain.

Then one of his men pulled at his arm, "Let's go, Zucco!"

Anger broke his frozen gaze. Punching the man in the head, Tony Zucco screamed, "DON'T CALL ME THAT-"

Returning his gaze to the front, he watched as four of the Titans leapt into action, but Robin stood frozen on the spot. His pale face seemed to get paler, the slender figure shaking with some unspoken emotion. Gulping, he watched as the picture perfect hero's shoulders rose up, teeth bearing in a snarl, eyes narrowed into the slimmest of slits, cheeks flushing crimson. "Zucco." The deep animalistic growl vibrated through the air, sinking into his bones. The Bat had the same effect, but seeing a kid use it shot Zucco beyond terrified.

Screaming widely, he grabbed the machine gun next to the table and started shooting widely at the boy. Wild black eyes became frantic as he continued to shot round after round. Robin danced across the floor, trying to make his way to the crazy mobster. A blue beam blasted by him. Dust erupted in the small apartment. Realizing that this was his only chance, Zucco dropped the gun and bolted out into the city as if his life depended on it; something he felt was true.

As he ran, he heard a young voice scream into the air.

"LET ME GO!"

"Robin, please-"

"SHUT UP! HE GOT AWAY!"

"Dude!"

"YOU CAN'T HIDE THIS TIME! YOU HEAR ME ZUCCO? I'LL HUNT YOU DOWN!"

He hadn't heard much, but that murderous tone in what he could presume was Robin's voice made him run even faster. Zucco had heard rumors that Batman never truly killed anyone and he hoped the costume freak had taught his partner the same. So, hearing that Robin was going to hunt him down like some animal shattered any remaining sanity from Zucco's mind into outright terror.

Not knowing where he was going, Zucco found himself ironical at the circus, hiding behind a food stand. Closing his eyes, the mobster rubbed his forehead. The image of cutting the Grayson's rope flashed in his mind. Ever since their deaths, he had been hunted down at every corner from the Batman and now from Robin. It was like they had cursed him.

"Freakin' gypsies, good thing they died," hissed Zucco. The tiniest peek of moonshine shot across the wooden counter. Sighing, the man smiled weakly. Pushing himself onto his feet, the man peeped around before sliding over the counter out onto the boardwalk.

"No costume freaks walk in daylight," babbled Zucco to himself, trying to reassure himself about the unsuspected turn of events. "Guess you ain't that great kid! Huh, Robin? Can't even track down a simple mobster! Hahaha-"

The maniac laughter halted. Head still tilted up to the sky, Zucco's eyes traveled slowly down the ally where he heard the sound of a motorcycle roaring his way. "No-no way…"

The pale moon spilt milky light onto the boardwalk, but that did little to ease the creature that rode a fiery beast from hell. A red-cycle screamed around the corner at break-neck speeds. Robin straightened the bike and roared at a gaping Zucco. Reaching out, he grabbed the man at the cuff of his shirt, never once stopping. Zucco screamed in terror as the Boy Wonder dragged the man over the uneven planks, eyes taking in any obstacles but his ears enjoying the pain racked screams over the thundering motor.

Screeching over another corner, Robin tightened his grip on the man. Tires bumped when the planks turned to concrete. Zucco groaned, his arms failing out. "STOP! YOU CRAZY KID!"

Lips thinned behind the helmet. Like hell was he going to stop, he had waited too long for this moment. Spotting by an abandoned ally, Robin tilted his bike to the side, tossing Zucco hard with momentum into the back wall. Gunning off his bike, Robin leapt off of it, ripping his helmet off and throwing it like garbage to the side. Fists clenched to his side, the boy gritted his teeth till they felt they were on the edge of breakage.

Zucco cowered in the corner. The man's back still ached with the burns of being dragged, but that was nothing compared to his pounding heart. "GET AWAY FROM ME!"

"Shut up, you piece of filth," growled the blood-lusted voice.

Gaining some sense of sanity, Zucco pulled out a handgun from his side and leveled it at the boy. Robin was a step ahead and before the criminal could fire, a red bird-a-rang was embedded in the muzzle. Yelling, Zucco threw the gun at Robin, who just tilted his head as the gun went sailing by and continued to walk up to the mobster..

"LOOK, maybe I can provide you with information or something!"

No sense of reasoning was getting through the boy's mind. Halting a few steps away from the cornered man, Robin took in the frightened expression. The murderer probably had already gone to the bathroom in his pants, but that did little to quench to his thirst for revenge. In his mind's eye, all he could see was his parents falling to their deaths, a cut rope hanging in the spotlight. Absorbing the man's fear, Robin removed his green gloves and ripped off the R.

He would do this as Richard Grayson, not as Robin.

The mask was the last thing to go. He wanted Zucco to know who the last person he was going to see was. The man's eyes grew even wider with shock and confusion before realization dawned. Zucco felt his mouth go dry. The raven hair and piercing blue eyes, he had seen them before. Gazing over the colors of Robin, the age, and the murderous intent in those cold chips of eyes confirmed the identity. He had only seen the boy once when he had bumped into him on the way out of the tent after cutting the rope. But it was enough to capture those innocent, confused eyes framed by raven looks in the green, red and yellow acrobat uniform.

"Yo-you're…that Gray-Grayson kid..." Now it all made sense. He had killed the parents, not the kid and now the kid wanted revenge. Pushing himself further back into the corner, Zucco tried to smile, holding his hands up in surrender. "Look, I can explain!"

Robin inched forward and it was the chiming of the communicator that held Robin from breaking the man's neck right then and there. Palming the communicator, Robin flicked his gaze at it as if he never had seen such a thing. To Zucco's surprise, the boy frowned and chucked the communicator behind him. The Titans wouldn't understand. They were fearful of him since his outburst at the apartment. They probably had discovered that he was no longer locked up in his room and were going to activate the tracking device.

Crouching, Robin picked up the discarded gloves, the torn R and mask sliding them in an empty pouch on his belt. All they would fine would be a discarded communicator and the motorcycle. Closing in the distance between him and Zucco, Robin yanked the man onto his feet. Despite the years, Robin only came up to the man's shoulder but the murderer felt himself shrink below the boy. Pulling out a grabbling gun, Robin shot it off into the night sky, "We'll take this somewhere else, where you can _explain_ everything in detail."

Zucco nodded, fright taking away his ability to speak. Somehow, he got the impression that he would have little time to explain.

_-_Few days later_-_

Slade flipped through the newspaper, looking for anything exciting. The activities of the Justice League bore him and the Titans had not done anything extravagant to grab the attention of the national newspaper. Reaching out with his right hand, the one-eyed mastermind picked up his cup of black coffee, sitting in a sunbathed coffee house in Metropolis. Wearing civilian clothes, Slade waited patiently for his contractor to call him. Taking a sip of the black liquid, his gray-blue eye scanned the page when a small article caught his attention.

"_Tony Zucco, wanted mobster in Gotham found dead. Floating in Jump City's bay, his body washed up on the shore a day ago. No clear indicator of what the cause of death is due to ill-preservation of the body, but one likely cause is drowning or falling due to signs of a broken neck_."

With nothing more to say, the article ended. Slade laid the paper down, his brow creasing in concentration. Tony Zucco was not only wanted for his criminal dealings, but also for the deaths of John and Mary Grayson. Their son, Richard Grayson had lived, having been adopted by millionaire playboy Bruce Wayne, not to mention he became the extraordinary Robin the Boy Wonder. Oh yes, he knew his little bird's past and to find out that Zucco was dead in the boy's city made him raise his eyebrow.

Death by drowning? Oh did those journalists have it wrong. It didn't take a scientist to know who was behind Zucco's death. Slade knew how _savage_ Robin became when fighting him; one little nudge and the boy became lethal. Robin was driven by rage. And Slade knew that the only thing that prevented Robin from killing him was Batman's training and the Titans. But nothing could restrain the boy if he had found out the murderer of his parents was in his city. Revenge for pride was one thing, but revenge for loved ones was on a whole new level.

And with no Batman to stop him and the Titans clueless, Robin was free. Slade grinned as he gazed out of the window. Oh, what he would have given to see his little bird become a hawk hunting down its' prey. Maybe there was still hope for the boy to become his apprentice, for truly he never ceased to amaze him.

_-Gotham-_

Batman pulled off his cowl, body moaning in pain from the night's activity. The Joker had decided to rob a casino earlier that night. Then later after that, he chased Catwoman over the rooftops followed by an encore of Harley trying to break Joker out of his prison ending up with the Riddler leaving him cryptic clues about a museum. Luckily he had figured it out before the man had destroyed the priceless Russian jewels. It was times like these he missed having Robin as a partner. Batgirl was still around thankfully as she took care of the lesser criminals. But still…

Crashing into his chair, Batman was about to update the files when he heard the soft steps of Alfred. Turning, he frowned at the deeply concerned face of his most trusted friend. "Alfred?"

"I think you should read this, sir."

Grabbing the morning paper from Alfred, Batman scanned the articles till a small one caught his attention. "Zucco found dead in Jump City."

"Sir…"

He knew exactly what the older man was thinking. Robin. A rising wave of fear and concern rose in the man. Punching in a code, he waited as the black screen flickered to reveal a tired, masked face of Robin.

"Batman?" The weary tone forced Batman to gaze at the time: 4 in the morning.

"Care to explain the article."

"What?"

Narrowing his eyes, Batman let his face-harden. He knew the cowl wouldn't work on the boy, but the boy had yet to get immune to the stern face of Bruce. "Zucco's dead."

Surprise swept away all sleep. "What!"

"In your city."

Masked eyes flickered down to his desk. At that moment, Batman wanted to rip that fabric off of his face. It was hard to read his ward from this distance and the mask shielded any indications of lying, but luckily he knew the boy well enough to pick up on the more subtle hints. "Care to share."

Robin licked his lips and stared at the screen. "We broke up a mob meeting. I spotted Zucco there. At first I can kinda lost it, enough that the Titans locked me under house arrest. Zucco got away and the Titans went out to look for him. I couldn't let them get to him first, so I broke out of the Tower and searched for him myself. Somewhere along the way, I abandoned my cycle and communicator because I didn't want the Titans finding me. I searched all morning and couldn't find him, so I came back empty handed."

"That it?"

"Yes, sir."

Batman paused. He knew how it felt to have revenge taken away from you. "How are you feeling?"

Robin seemed a bit caught off guard before shrugging and scratching his head. "Glad a bit, in that finally he was put to justice and a bit sad that I wasn't there to see it done or stop it. He deserved prison, not death."

Batman nodded. "You've gotten a bit wiser."

Robin laughed softly. "Couldn't really tell ya."

"Well if you ever want to talk about it…"

"Call you, I know. Say Hi to Alfred for me."

With that all communications was cut off and the butler stepped out from the shadows. "Master Dick seemed a bit tired."

Batman just gazed down at his hands. "Yes he does." But he knew it wasn't from work. Robin had lied to him. His partner…his son…had crossed the line and he couldn't help but pin the guilt on himself.

_-Jump City-_

Robin crashed onto his bed, arms spread out, feet hanging over the edge. Starring up at the ceiling, he ran over the conversation with Batman. It was the same story he had told the Titans after he sneaked back into the Tower, replacing his torn and stained uniform with a new one.

Stretching his bare hands in front of his face, Robin no longer saw them clean. Blood dripped off of them like water, running down his arms staining his uniform with new specks of the crimson liquid. A flash of Zucco's battered face and body falling over the edge of the building face etched in pure horror encompassed his vision.

Gasping, Robin shot up and cradled his head in his hands. His body shivered due to the multiple shudders racking his nerves. He had killed a man. No not a man, the murderer of his parents. Shock and guilt had plagued him since the moment he stepped back into the Tower. No matter how many times he washed his hands, the blood never left. Sneering, Robin grabbed his green gloves and pulled them over his hands. As long as he didn't have to see his pale hands, he didn't need to be reminded.

Or remember the soft, warm liquid trickling through his fingers. The moans of pain from a shattered jaw hummed in the back of his mind. A dull black eye gazed at him, the other swollen shut. One push was all it took to send the man toppling over the edge. Patience ticked by as Zucco hung onto a brick ledge for dear life until his fingers could no longer hold on and slipped off the into the air. When the moment came, the sickening sound of flesh meeting cement was almost surreal. Dumping the body in the bay, he washed his hands in the ice water and with methodical movement in his figure, Richard returned to the Tower as Robin.

Green hands clutching the edge of the bed, Robin gazed out of his window. Looking back now, the guilt was gone. He had killed someone, but that someone deserved what he got. No death was more just when he had heard Zucco make contact with the ground. Poetic justice had shifted something in him that night. Everything was pushed in the background: the Titans, Batman and Slade. All there was was Zucco and his one purpose for existence, revenge. With new eyes, a revelation came into being. The more he waited, the more Robin had to chide himself to take his time that added few seconds added to Zucco's life compared to the years he had endured after his parent's death only made the revenge ripen like dark red wine to a sweet toxic that still purred beautifully in his veins.

"Friend Robin, the breakfast of morning is ready," announced Starfire behind the door, her cheerful voice oblivious to the dark change in her leader.

"Thanks, Star," responded the sinned hero in his normal tone of voice, betraying nothing of his dying guilt.

Breaking his gaze, Robin stood up. No one would know of his secret. Batman would figure it out in time of course. And if Batman, then he might as well figure in Slade for he still had an eerie feeling the man was keeping tabs on him. But beyond those two, he knew, no one would have to know that his hands were stained with blood. Robin knew what he was capable of now and for some strange reason he was no longer afraid. Acceptance was a small but major step in moving forward to keep his sin a secret. He would carry on like nothing had happened.

The End.

No Discussion.

Palming the door open, Robin gazed behind him out through the window. Narrowing his eyes, the hawk cawed menacingly. Let it be a quiet message to the world. If anyone tried to take his new family away from him, he would do it all again.

He would kill again.

No. Questions. Asked.

--------------------------------------

A/N: Gosh, I love writing a dark Robin. Oh and I gotta confess, the part where Robin drags Zucco across the planks, that's a scene from the episode. It was just too cool to leave out, really :)


	14. Understand

Disclaimer: I don't own these two characters, all rights belong to DC and Cartoon Network.

A/N: Yeehaw, back after a couple busy days and freezing my toes off, I've got a new drabble to post! This takes place during the fight between Robin and Terra in Aftershock and the unspoken thoughts behind their actions.

**Understand**

_**Terra:**_

He didn't understand.

Those masked whites glare at her with hatred at what she has become. But Terra knew that it is not her personally who has wounded him so. No it is the symbol that glittered above the beating heart that brings out this creature in him. And it sickened the earth mover. For a split second, she wanted to see the mighty Teen Titan leader shrink back in fear from the threat she exuded. Much like with Slade, Terra wanted to be recognized and surpass the mere mortal who dare ridicule her. Sure, Robin never outright stated it, but she had sensed his hesitancy the moment she met the Titans and after her return. Nothing seemed to please the bright clad hero, so she didn't bother with explaining herself to the arrogant hero.

Blocking out Robin's words as he tried to tell Terra of the error of her ways, the blond villain realized that he only does such an action for the sake of Beastboy. A rock exploded from a uncontrollable burst of her power. The last of the Titan is not even taking her seriously. He only fought in the defense because of a promise, not because he saw her as a criminal. What would Terra have to do for him to get it through his thick head that she was a threat. She was Slade's apprentice! Didn't that mean anything in his book? Terra flung chunks of earth at Robin, but the boy leapt onto them and before she knew it, a metal pole slammed into her face. Flying a few feet away, Terra rose shaky back up at her feet and wiped away a small drip of blood. It was then that Terra knew that if it wasn't for the Beastboy, Robin would have finished her off minutes ago instead of holding back. And how do Terra know all this?

It is because he and Slade are so similar that it is uncanny. And Terra found herself smirking that Robin was blind to the fact. In the brief time Terra was with the Titans and now the apprenticeship under Slade, she saw the truth and anger burned in her veins. She is Slade's apprentice, not him. She is the one who should be the mirror image of Slade, for he and her share the same body. Terra saw herself as an extension of Slade's bidding, his right hand man. It was time they share the same minds. If only the earth mover knew how right she was, the true form of the uniform still kept a secret from her.

Robin's words were cut off by a grunt of pain. Yet, the stubborn leader struggled to his side and Terra realized that he didn't understand why she joined Slade. That the answer she gave of merely hating the Titans' existence was not satisfactory. For a moment, Terra wanted to scream that if it wasn't for Slade, she would never be at this level of control with her powers. If it wasn't for Slade, she would never have risen in life, with people fearing her instead of taunting her. Terra wanted to express the joys of feeling like a goddess. That the thrill of being a criminal is an addiction that the blond never wished to quite. Robin didn't understand because he is only a mere boy with no powers and didn't want to believe that Slade would want someone more stronger, more powerful, more loyal than he was.

But.

As Terra yelled at him, telling him the she didn't regret her decision and threw another boulder at him, the dark look Robin shot at her golden eyes brings about a painful revelation. She didn't watch as the bolder knocked the wind out of the Boy Wonder. All she knew was that her anger towards Robin is not because he was Slade's apprentice before her. No, it was because she is jealous…jealous of his friends. No matter where he goes, what happens to him, the mistakes of his past, the Titans continue to forgive the Titan leader and are loyal to him like a dog to a master. Anger bubbled into rage. Terra cannot help but think that it is not fair that he should have such a perfect life, with everything going for him.

If only Robin understood that Terra is jealous of his life.

**_Robin_:**

She didn't understand.

Those searing golden eyes pierce the night sky with their hatred towards the Titans, but more specifically him. Terra enjoyed the destruction that she has caused. Robin can see behind that twisted smile, the glee she tasted when ordering the Sladebots to destroy his city. The other Titans' falls don't plague her mind like a bloodhound. Only Beastboy's sad plea held Robin back from beating the girl senseless. Thus, he tried to reason with her good side…with what's left of the girl they took in before Slade corrupted her. And the more the fight progresses, the more Robin concurs that his words are falling on deaf ears. That she did not take his words-Beastboy's love-to heart fueled a dark fire within him.

Rage blinded his vision, as that single S became the only existing object in his world as Terra continued to reject him. That man, how dare he use a girl's power for his own dark, twisted ideals. Robin cannot help but think that if he would have been longer with Slade, if he too was to become a mere tool for the criminal's use. Dodging a series of boulders, the hero leapt into the air surprising Terra as he delivered a powerful kick, sending her flying into the fence. No. Slade would never have used him, like the villain used her. All Slade needed was blackmail to control the hero. But Robin had reminded the man that a leash only worked for so long.

Dodging another bolder, Robin can see why Slade chose Terra: the power to control the earth is a helpful weapon when trying to control a city. But it came a price. There is a sense of paranoia with dealing something as unpredictable as the earth and Slade had learned his lesson with Robin. And Robin can see that paranoia, that he imagined Slade would say was caution, in the style of Terra's uniform. Right from the start, the ex-sidekick of Batman questioned the function of the new apprentice uniform, specifically the metal disks on her blond hair. They served no function, but did remind him of a gadget the Mad Hatter would create to control his adversaries.

A growl escaped the Boy Wonder's lips as he flipped into the air. It sickened him that he can slide so easily into Slade's reasoning. Yet, a tiny part shivered in fear as it is reminded how Slade liked to gloat on their similarities. Terra's scream jolted him out of his train of thought, glaring at him through her bangs as she crouched shielding herself from the exploding bird-a-rang. She didn't know or didn't understand why he is holding back. It is not her that Robin wanted to defeat; it is her master. She didn't want to believe that Robin fought against her for the sake of her own soul, for the sake of Beastboy's love for her: a rare beautiful love that he finds himself dying to protect from the smoldering fumes of Slade's aura.

But.

As Robin charged at her once again, letting himself lose a bit of control behind the punches he can see that she has improved. The blocks, the intimidating control of her power, and the magnitude of her power…it shook Robin to the core but he didn't show. He might be a mere human, but she didn't understand a human's drive to defeat a greater opponent. Thus Robin continued to surprise her. Yet, she surprised him at the end and he found himself digging out of his supposed grave. Flashing back, Robin saw the gloating smug face staring down at him and the oozing flash of truth. The anger bubbling from his defeat is not due to the loss. No, Robin found himself jealous.

He was jealous that she had excelled in life. Terra would never have reached this degree of power if she had stayed with them. Robin cannot help but hear Slade's voice purr in his head of how the Titans were holding him back. Limping away from the pile of rubble, Robin scowled as the ground as he sees what he could have become, as clearly as he could see the golden aura surrounding her. Popping his shoulder back into its' socket, Robin bit back a scream and his mind zoned in on one thought. Terra might be the more powerful out of Slade's apprentices, but Robin knew Slade still favored him over her. Thus, he knew the next time, he would not hold back and use Slade's training against her.

Walking in the ruins back to Jump City, Robin mused that Terra would never understand that he was jealous of her life.

**_Slade:_**

Slade watched as Terra smiled as Robin's body disappeared underneath the rock. His apprentice defeated the ex-apprentice, the new won over the old. Then why did he feel like he lost? The aching feeling swallowed what was left of his beating heart and his gut twisted as if a knife pierced his armor. He felt this way when Robin had bested him out of his blackmail all those months ago.

"Master, I have defeated Robin. The Titans are finished."

He heard Terra's glee through the microphone and the wish for his approval. He knew that she sought to break free of Robin's shadow and hoped that the boy's defeat had finally proved herself better than 'the other apprentice.'

Slade kept the disappointment out of his voice. "Good job, Terra. Report back to base."

He watched as her golden head nodded and her body floated away from the fight scene. Closing his one eye, Slade let himself relax for a couple of seconds. He won a city. He won against the Titans. He won a loyal apprentice. Then why did it feel like a hollow victory?

"You're not one second gone, and already I miss our little meetings Robin," whispered Slade to no one in particular. "But knowing you…"

The mastermind glanced up at his screen and spotted a small figure dragging itself out of the rubble. A smirk brought back the spark of dark joy into the single eye. "You have yet to disappoint me, my boy. It seems that Terra might have knocked some sense into you." He chuckled darkly, as the camera from the lone Sladebot zoomed up on the seething figure. "Maybe now, you will understand that you will always be my apprentice, no place, no time, no identity can hide that fact."

Soaking in the dark march of Robin, Slade found himself yearning to be in front of the boy, to feel that raging inferno pepper him in ice rain. "I think you will not hold back in the next round and that is something I long to see." Grinning like the Cheshire cat, Slade watched as Robin yanked his dangling arm back in its' socket, but the pain did nothing to slow down the stride. If the beaten hero would seek out the other Titans, Slade did not know. But the criminal did know that the next time, Robin would not hold back. Flickering his gaze over at Terra, who was floating with smile on her face, Slade found himself wishing for Robin knock the girl off her pedestal. Terra was ungrateful and did not know how much precious time he had to invest in her to get her to this level.

Yet, Terra proved useful and the time seemed well-spent. Till the fight with Robin and the girl let him down. Down in the sense that Robin had not lost total control, had not resorted to the techniques Slade had taught the boy. It seemed he was blessed with two ungrateful apprentices. But hope remained. The single eye shifted back to the persistent hero and watched with caution as the boy picked up a broken metal pipe and twirled it in a familiar fashion that was drilled into him during their brief time. Oh, hope indeed existed now and Slade found himself eagerly awaiting like a child on Christmas for the rematch between the deaf and the blind.

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A/N: And there we go, my version of the fight between Terra and Robin. I felt a bit disappointed in their fight, considering they both were Slade's apparentices. But oh well, it was more focused on her and Robin can't hog the spotlight all the time XD


	15. Birthday Boy

Disclaimer: Fe fi fo fum, no characers belong to me.

A/N: Yay, I finally found time to post in here. Well, pretty much here's a little happy random drabble that passed through my head one day. It's pretty much a reflective piece for our dear little Robbie. Truthfully, I don't know when Dick's b-day is so I picked a day.

**Birthday Boy**

Bright rays of light reached out to peek over the skyscrapers, casting light into a normally dark room. Robin was already up, with the rest of the Titans sleeping quietly in their rooms. Turning, he eyed the small mirror behind his door. Instead of the bright-clad uniform, he wore dark blue jeans with a white sleeved-blue tee-sweater that had the Pepsi logo. He rarely bought casual clothes and Alfred said that this was the one of the latest trends in youth fashion. Scoffing, blue eyes gazed questionably his hair and he rumpled it slightly, still wanting to keep the spiked look up despite the lack of gel. Today, he was going one-hundred percent Richard Grayson style, no influences of Robin present what so ever.

Nodding with satisfaction, Robin walked over and opened up his window and leaned outside. Peering upwards and then downwards, he smirked before sliding back in. Picking up his grappling gun, Robin took one more gaze at the calendar. It was Friday the 13th. Ever since he could remember, kids made fun of his birthday, joking that he was bad luck through and through. Which, in a dark sense, Robin had to agree considering his life so far. Yet, he could still hear his mom's voice telling him that he was special in that the 13th was no unlucky for him, but his luckiest day in fact.

On the other hand, it was merely his birthday…more importantly his 18th birthday.

"Time to party, hey Dick," whispered Robin at himself, before perching himself on the ledge. Shooting the hook up on the roof, he swung down towards the seacoast. Robin knew he could have just snuck out of the tower the normal way breaking through Cyborg's security system, but where was the fun in that. Landing softly on the ground, Robin released the hook and hid it underneath a rock, for easy access when he returned.

Marching off to a secluded cove, Robin allowed himself a small pat on the back. The Titans were thinking that he had the flu and were told to leave him alone at all costs to prevent the illness from spreading. Not to mention, he had rigged up his computer to mimic his voice and laid a dummy on his bed for emergency peep-ins. He had seen Fuller Bueller's Day Off enough times, not to mention that living with a guy who avoided society like the plague made him the King of Deception in the Tower.

Reaching the cove, Robin tossed a camouflage tarp off the Jet Ski he had parked there secretly two days ago. Hopping on, he jetted quietly off towards the city as not to alarm the sleeping heroes. The ride was short, giving himself time to hid the ski carefully on the main coast. Walking away from the ocean, Robin strode into the awakening city. He couldn't help but feel an immense pressure lift off his shoulders as the city seemed to welcome him and the new day with open arms.

Today, Robin could do whatever he wanted. No worries about crime fighting, friends, family or even girls. Nothing was going to ruin this day. Since forming the Titans, Robin had kept his true birthday a secret, telling his friends the birthday of his gorilla friend Rose in from the circus. As he told the lie, the superhero promised himself that when his 18th birthday came around, that he would take the day off and celebrate. It wasn't every day that one became a legal citizen. And he would do the same thing when he was 21 because…well, he could finally drink, not that he liked it or anything. Having a hangover would just cause trouble when crime fighting. Not to mention explaining a pounding headache and bloodshot eyes to four snooping friends.

The warm, buttery smell of freshly baked pastries pulled his mind away from the future and towards the more pressing matter of breakfast. Taking a turn, Robin followed his nose towards the opened bakery, a smile beaming from his face. Time to treat himself.

Throughout the day, Robin wandered around the city, a slight bounce to his step. With his small plastic spoon, Robin scooped up another spoonful of the hazelnut Italian ice cream. The rich, almost chocolate taste added another bounce to his skip, sending his mind soaring to the time Bruce, Alfred and him spent a couple weeks in Italy. Bruce was being a pessimist as usual, but Alfred and him had the time o f their lives visiting ruins and enjoying the sunny weather: a stark welcoming contrast from Gotham.

Chuckling quietly, Robin let the memory fade and pondered over what else he could do. He had been cruising through the mall, seen a movie, gone to a couple sport stores and now he made his way to the farmer's market that graced the big downtown square in the afternoon. Laughter erupted from a small stand off to the side catching the bird's attention. Curiosity moved Robin's body towards a group of children watching with amazement at a puppet show. Standing in the back, Robin allowed himself a smile as the king batted the jester on the head with a bat. A small tug at his pants, made him look down into big green eyes framed by golden locks.

Bending down, Robin took in the small, shy toddler. Smiling kindly, Robin spoke gently to the scared girl, "Can't see?"

The little girl nodded, her eyes glistening with tears, her bottom lip jutting out in a small pout. Hunching over, Robin pointed at his back. "Then hop on."

Those green eyes exploded with joy and the little girl pounced on his back. Standing up with the little on his shoulders, Robin grinned up at her as she squealed with delight. Her tiny fingers point at the queen who yanked the bat away from the king and began hitting him with it. Robin laughed right along with the girl, keeping a hand on her leg to keep her from falling off. The play soon ended causing the crowd to groan with disappoint but they clapped anyways. As the children dispersed with their parents, Robin lowered himself down to the ground. The girl hopped off and gave him a bear hug.

Robin couldn't help but hug back, making sure not to spill ice-cream on the girl's orange summer dress. "Glad you enjoyed it."

"Tank yu!" With that, she pecked him with a small kiss on the cheek and ran up to her mom who was standing further back, a bag of groceries in her hand. A smile of gratitude was sent his way and Robin just nodded in compliance. A painful yank at his heart forced Robin to watch the mother and daughter walk off. For a second he saw his dad grinning at him, while his mother held a birthday cake in her hands a smile beaming from her face. Instead of the usual wave of grief that passed over him, Robin was suprised to feel a warm glow in his heart that despite the years, his parents would always love him.

Straightening up, Robin quickly finished his melting ice-cream, licking the spoon clean. Throwing away the small cup, Robin clicked his tongue. "What now?" It was strange to think of things to do besides the average crime-chases and leading a team activities expected of him each day.

Snapping his fingers, Robin grinned. "Bookstore. I so can christmas shop right now. Alfred said he wanted a new cooking book. And Bruce, his birthday is coming up." The happy grin morphed into an evil smile. Oh he knew just the perfect book for old Brucie.

A shot broke his dark musings. Glancing over to where the person yelled, Robins immediately spotted the culprit pointing up at the sky. The alarm ringing in his head, Robin and others turned to see what was happening. Leaping from rooftop to rooftop, Kitten and her boyfriend Fang were trying to flee with bags full of jewelry. And right at their heels were the Titans. Starfire, her red hair shining in the sun, was ahead dodging purple lasers while carrying Cyborg who shot round after round of glistening blue rays at the two criminals. Beastboy was attacking Kitten by zooming in at her in his hawk form, his graceful aerial movements astounding. All the while, Raven's white eyes shining with righteous determination continued to alter the rooftops to slow their escape.

The crowd cheered as the Titans zoomed by. Robin couldn't help but stand there in speechless awe. It was one of the rare, maybe first time, that he was able to witness the Titans from the outside. He felt childish inspiration rise in him. It was like the first time he saw Superman fly down to greet the heroes of Gotham. As the teenage superheroes disappeared from sight, people turned to each other and chatted amongst themselves at how powerful those heroes were and how great role models they were. Blinking as if waking from a spell, Robin looked down and continued his way through the market. Letting his feet lead him, Robin found himself standing behind a group of teenagers his age in the line to get kettle popcorn.

"_What is with me and food today_?" mused Robin. "_I'm suppose to go to the bookstore, not another food stand_." A wave of crackling popcorn swept over him and Robin found his mouth watering. Rolling his eyes, Robin puffed a burst of air into his bangs as he gave into the temptation and decided the bookstore could wait. It was this temptation that allowed Robin to withstand the jabbering in front of him made by a group of four teenage girls his age.

"Sooooo, what are you going to do after graduation?" smacked the strawberry blond girl, stretching the pink bubble gum out of her mouth.

"Who knows, all I care about is prom. I still have to find a date," giggled the bleached blond.

"I know. How about you Sally?" snided a red-head.

"Me? Oh getting ready to go to college," proudly stated the light-brown haired girl with her lollipop waving around in her hand.

"Psh, college. I'm staying in-state, thank you very much," huffed the blond, who clearly was the 'popular' one of the group.

"Well, I can't wait. I need to get out this city…this state! I can't wait to go to Washington State!" shot back the brunette.

"It's out west, who cares," continued the blond. It was clear at this point the red-head and the strawberry blond where going to stay out of this small catfight.

"Hey! It's great out there! Everything is so open. That and I already applied for a scholarship to go to England for an exchange. So excited about that!" The brunette bragging tone made the winning shot, silencing the blond for a couple seconds.

Robin released a sigh only to groan softly as the red-head--clearly the peacekeeper--moved the subject to boys. Thus group continued blabber on about the boy problems interwined with the hassels of moving and the pains of graduating high school. After they left, still chattering without a break of air, Robin was finally able to buy his prized popcorn. Breaking away, he quickly munched down a few handfuls to calm his nerves. Totally bypassing the bookstore, Robin's steps slowly lost their bounce and an empty feeling encased his mind.

Finding a small park, Robin sat himself on a swing and began to rock back and forth, popping the kettle corn into his mouth, eyes set on the shifting sand at his feet. He couldn't help but run the girls' conversation through his head. Sitting on the swing, truth dawned in Robin's mind. For every other kid out there, turning 18 was not just becoming a citizen. It was about graduating high school, saying good-bye to old friends, going off to college…exploring new places, learning new things. Turning 18 was about turning into an adult.

A deep ache pulled at his heart. It was an ache Robin felt time to time, but now he knew where it came from. Lowering the bag of popcorn on the ground next to him, his hands took hold of the chains and he continued to swing, kicking absently at the sand. He had graduated high school years ago. A child progidy. But it was kept secret from the public due to the fact Bruce didn't want no one finding out that he had tutored him and reveal his secret identity. Not to mention his abrupt leave from Gotham would have caused issues with the school records, but still. Robin never had a graduation, not like the regular high school graduations where they got their diplomas, shook hands with the principle and threw their hats into the air. He just received his in the mail, a hug from Alfed and a pat on the shoulder from Bruce.

And then there was college…

Robin never thought about going to college. He figured he would be superheroe for the rest of his life, so why bother. But now, Robin missed the experience of going somewhere totally new and starting afresh. Sure he had done that by moving here to Jump City, but...To be among regular people and just worry about a job and finals was something totally different. Lifting his gaze, Robin watched as the trees ruffled silently in the wind. The ache continued to grow and began to manifest into restless. He had traveled many a miles when he was younger and the thought of settling down in one place seemed absurd to him, even now. He thought it finally went away when he lived in Gotham and then later on when he formed the Titans. But today, it returned with full force. A sudden urge to leave, to just escape the city and run off to London or out west and begin a new life swallowed the boy whole. Then Robin remembered his team and his responsibilities. The burden smashed the longing to dust. Robin had stayed here too long and his roots were beginning to sink in, leaving him with an itching feeling that wouldn't go away.

Sighing, the young hero closed his eyes. In the darkness, he saw the Titans flying after Kitten and Fang. He had trained them well, well enough that the Titans really didn't need him anymore. He had nothing else to teach them. They could function as a fighting unit without any directions from him. Lifting his eyes partially, Robin tilted his head on a chain. A shudder ran through his body making him feel useless. The thought that the Titans didn't need him and the urge to leave made the Boy Wonder begin to fear this new degree of freedom that occurred when turning 18 years old.

"I was expecting a chipper 18 year-old, but what do I find instead? A depressed boy who is afraid of everything."

The cold voice made Robin jerk straight up and leap from the swing. The blue plastic strip bounced widely in his absence. Sliding his foot on the sand, knocking the bag of popcorn over, Robin couldn't help but gape at towering figure of Slade. The criminal had been missing from Jump City for over a month and to see his imposing black and orange figure in the darkening backdrop of a park seemed surreal.

"Sl-Slade?"

The masked villain tilted to the side, "Robin."

The boy wanted to lunge at the man, but he remembered his little promise that today was an off day. But Slade was an exception right? "How did you know it was me?" Clenching his fists, Robin tried to shut up the voice that berated him for leaving his weapons in the Tower.

"Oh come now, _Richard_. I make it a priority to know everything about my archenemy, even if that enemy was once my apprentice."

Robin growled, irked that this man knew his real name. Blue eyes widened in shock, "Then..."

Slade nodded, "Both yours and Bruce's secret is safe with me. But I did not come here to fight."

"Really," scoffed Robin, not truly believing Slade.

The villain heard the disbelief and held his hands open in a sign of peace. "I merely wanted to check up on my favorite hero."

"You can do that by reading a newspaper."

"But I so do miss our conversations."

"Then why don't you give me half-an-hour before robbing some bank and we can have our conversation then."

Slade chuckled, "You haven't changed a bit, Robin."

Robin fought back the tidal wave of indignation, shooting his gaze to the side. It was then that he noticed the dark outlines of robots hiding in the woods. Frowning, Robin glared accusingly at Slade, who merely shrugged in return. Biting his lip, Robin realized that he might have been able to fight Slade, but without his weapons he wouldn't last long with the robots in the mix. That and he didn't want to end his birthday with a broken bone and having to explain the injury to the Titans.

Sighing in hot resignation, Robin flopped back down on the swing, crossing his arms. Kicking at the sand to vent his emotions, Robin muttered, "Why are you here?"

Realizing that Robin was not going to fight back, Slade unfolded his arms from behind his back, "I was passing through and remembered that today was your birthday. I was suprised not to find you with the Titans and your room was barren."

The boy's back straightened up and Slade could already hear the gears turning. "Truly, Robin, I thought you would have increased the security system in the Tower. Anyways, I was about to turn and leave when low and behold I find you here."

Robin glared up at the man, his eyes burning with anger. He was about to remark when a black, ordinary cell-phone plopped down on his lap. His lips parted as he studied the cell-phone. Figuring that the phone wasn't going to blow up on him, Robin picked it up and flipped it open. A regulard screen greeted his eyes. Tilting his head, Robin sent a questioning gaze at Slade, who stood in front of him, the single eye not betraying a single emotion.

"What is this for?"

"You're 18. And as an 18 year-old, I know you will want to break free, to explore the unknowns. But your duty will tie you down. So, for your birthday present, here's a cell-phone."

"Joy."

Slade narrowed his eye at Robin's sarcastic voice. Immediately, Robin felt himself stiffen and flicker his gaze back down quickly. He remembered that penetrating gaze from his time with the criminal and it always meant that Slade was serious and him being in pain.

"You can only contact me and I you. If you ever feel…bored. Call me and we'll meet up." Leaning down, Slade lifted Robin's chin with one finger and gazed at Robin's naked blue eyes. He couldn't help but fall back into that dark purr, absolutely taken into those eyes. "For, I so miss those accusations of yours."

Having nothing more to say, Slade backed away and disappeared, leaving a stunned Robin behind. Blinking a couple times to see that he wasn't dreaming, Robin gazed down at the phone. Rage tightened his façade and he quickly picked up the phone and was about to throw it. But, his arm stopped mid-flight and slowly settled back down to his side.

Running his thumb over the phone, Robin sighed. It was strange…no Twilight Zone weird, that Slade had given him a birthday present. Slade didn't give anyone presents. Maybe this was some twisted mind game again, which it probably was and was just like Slade.

Then why did Robin continue to run his fingers over it as he stood up from the swing? Grabbing the bag, he tossed it away and gazed back as the last sunrays kissed the sky. It was time to head home. Time to go back into the old routine. Walking down to where the jet ski was hidden, Robin couldn't help but slide a hand into the pocket and clutch the phone. The ache he had felt earlier eased back into the recess of his soul.

Maybe he would take Slade up on his offer. If anything, he could learn more information about the man and finally bring him down.

If.

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A/N: Yay, another drabble done. Well, you know the drill. I've got to branch away from Slade. If you guys want a certain person to guest star, let me know! Take care.


	16. Back in the Day

**A/N: **So I decided to update early for this is going to be a crazy week. And yes, I know it's Valentine's Day week, but I already did my romantic drabble for the next ten years. And nothing is hitting me, so I'd thought I post this little guy. It's a little bit of a crossover with Batman Beyond in that I mention Terry, whose the new Batman. But Kevin is of my own creation.

**Back in the Day**

Dick was grateful he had not turned out to be the old, cripple, useless old man that Mad Mob had turned him into during one of the Titan's missions. Standing beside his wooden chair in good health, the 60 something year old man took a sip of his muke warm coffee. Gazing out, he took in the tranquil whispers of wind rustling through the pine trees. A few snowflakes began to fall down, signaling the start of the blizzard. The small log cabin was situated upon a hill, well hidden from any unwanted visitors.

Humming deeply, Dick turned his back to the forest and regarded the unwanted, fuming young man. No longer bright sky, the sea-blue eyes hardened. "I recommend knocking off that almighty attitude of yours, kid."

The deep, scruffy voice made the younger man flinch, his black eyes falling to the ground. "Sorry, sir." But the anger was still searing the air around him.

Dick couldn't help but smirk. It seemed that after all these years in retirement, he still had his edge. "You better be sorry. Now, you must be deaf because I said no."

The young man's anger returned and he braved a step forward, "Listen, Mr. Grayson. I don't care about any past grudges. I want you to train me!"

"No." Lowering his cold coffee, the former superhero frowned down at the older teenager. "You're not up to the challenge."

"I am-"

"I've seen enough hero wannabes like you join the club only to get killed a few months down the road. Now, get out of my house." Clenching his fist, Dick allowed his stern posture do the rest of the talking.

The young man scoffed, "Fine." Turning, he marched out of the cabin. Walking a few feet out into the dirt driveway, the man halted. "Like hell am I giving up! You've gone too far to turn back now, Kevin." cursed the teenager. Facing the cabin's front door, Kevin stuck his hands in his pockets and stood rigid like a statue until Richard Grayson acknowledged him, or die trying. Two men could play this game of stubborn nature.

Grayson dumped the coffee down the drain and set the dirty mug in the sink. Waiting a few more minutes, he listened for the sound of a truck driving off. When no sound came, he walked into the small living room and gazed out of the window. Standing in the driveway was the kid. Stone rigid, Grayson studied the stubborn brat. Black eyes were locked on the door, peeks of short brown hair sprouted from underneath the black military beanie. The boy's frame was tall and slim, yet Grayson could see the tale-tall signs of a well-toned body underneath the layers of flannel and jeans that were now peppered with snow.

The square jaw showed signs of whiskers pointing the fact that the boy had travelled miles without rest to find him. Sighing, Dick broke away from the window and made his way upstairs. The cabin had a small kitchen, wide living/office room where the fireplace roared with the only source of heat. Upstairs held the single bathroom and bedroom. One would suspect the bachelor's cabin to be littered with clothes, but years under Alfred and being a superhero leader had honed Dick's lifestyle into one of order and cleanliness.

Sitting down on his bed, Dick rand a hand through his thick untamed gray locks of hair. There were still glimpses of the raven color but they were shadowed by many years of hard, stressful work. The man bent down and pulled out a box from underneath his bed. Popping off the lid, two weathered hands gently caressed a fading red, yellow and green uniform. Eyes closed revealing the aged wrinkles amongst the ancient face.

He had seen too much in his lifetime. The time spent with loved ones was cut too short. The time spent in hospitals and mourning was too long. Lying down on his bed, Dick stared deep in the crevices of the ceiling.

Those were the days. The yellow, black cape flying over his shoulders, as Robin ran over the rooftops without a care in the world. Adrenaline roared through his young body blocking out the voices. The sky was limit. And despite the hardships, pains and losses Robin could always count on four individuals to back him up.

Cyborg: the man he considered his brother. The robotic appendages allowed the older boy to withstand the intensity of Robin's punches when they sparred. But the human side of the African American shone with ferocity. Robin was able to joke and make fun of him and Cyborg would return the gesture with the same attitude. Not to mention Cyborg was one hell of a cook. If it wasn't for the boy's cooking, Robin would have died either by Star's radioactive food, gone insane with Beastboy's push for tofu or turned into a peace-loving fighter by drinking too much of Raven's tea.

Raven: the mother of the group, if he considered himself the father. In her simple purple cloak, she provided him with advice or a few words that he needed to hear at the moment. She had saved him countless times, not only from villains but from himself as well. He would never forget that night with the dust and how she tried to help him see the light. And in return, he gave her courage to fight her father. Dick would never tell Raven, but when he carried her up from Hell's fires, one glance at her small white form and he felt pure hope for the first time. That and the looks she gave Beastboy…

Beastboy: the kid he considered his little bro. The youngest of the bunch, who had a knack of getting himself into sticky situations but always, seemed to get out of it. Nothing could bring down the boy's spirits and the youthful energy made Robin remember that they were teenagers. With those pointy tears and a toothful grin, the changeling was a skilled fighter and a fierce video gamer. Between the movies and tofu, Robin was able to experience a sort of normal life. Coupled with Starfire's overflowing optimism…

Star. The alien princess that caught him totally off-guard every time she looked his way. Their first kiss would always catch him off-guard even after years of separation washed away her taste. Looking back now, Dick knew that he did love Starfire, loved her like the little sister he always wanted. On the darkest nights, he would swear that nothing would happen to Star, the innocence of a world he was trying to save. Despite the strange concoctions of food she would beg him to try, Starfire had become the heart of the group.

A group he sorely missed from time to time. They were his friends, his family, and his home. The Teen Titans would forever live on. Long after his team had left to branch out, others filled in their shoes living up to their legacy. Turning his head to the side, Dick eyed the box full of memories: both pleasant and…

Reaching in, he reached underneath his old uniform and pulled out a metal mask, whose crack still mirrored his own on his soul. The crack refused to heal and now was a scar due to the multiple times the masked man would return and remind him of his failures.

Slade Wilson. Deathstroke the Terminator. The one criminal Dick hated with his entire being, yet the only criminal who seemed to respect Dick for the fighter that he was. Their relationship was full of trust and betrayal, alliances and rivalries, respect and contempt. Dick's obsession with the man spiraled to the point where one night, he drove off into the night never to return to Jump City. His ties to the Titans shattered the moment he ran through the red light. Spiraling into the darkness of his obsession, Dick lost The Titans, lost his fragile relationship with Batman and the growing respect of Superman and the superhero community. And in the end, all the pain he endured, Dick only won the respect of his adversary.

"_Robin…Dick, you truly surprise me. Despite the years of your hero ideals, you are so much like me_," _purred Slade, his gray eye finally revealing an emotion: pride as his broken body lay at feet of his ex-apprentice._

Dick snarled and threw the mask back into the box. Grunting as he sat back up, the ex-superhero decided he needed a beer. Only after a much-needed vacation in response to his battle with Slade, did Dick to return to civilization. The Titans welcomed him back with open arms and Batman delivered the mother of all surprises by stating how he missed him. Yet, Robin never came back and Dick took on the darker mantel of Nightwing.

Walking down the creaking stars, unwanted memories of the events that transpired during his years as Nightwing filtered through. Friends dying, partners breaking up, romance shriveled up and the world fell apart too fast for the superheroes to patch it up. Then the incident of Tim Drake—the current Robin at the time—with the Joker had been too much for the small Bat Family. No one became Robin afterwards. A year later, Barbara became a cold-hearted policewoman and Batman suffered his first heart attack.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Dick glanced out the window and shook his head. The kid was still out there. Entering the small kitchen, Dick opened the fridge and pulled out a beer. He was ingrained never to start drinking but those final years of being Nightwing pushed him down the road. Batman's deteriorating health, Alfred's death and not to mention the return of Slade pushed Dick to finally burn out. Discarding any evidence of his past life, he fled the world, seeking asylum up here in the mountains.

Now after years of solitude, the outside world found him and Dick wanted to yell at the sky. Didn't he deserve to live his last years in peace? Popping off the cap, Dick took a sip of the ice-beer, welcoming the burning sensation to clear his head.

Leaning against the counter, his blue eyes fell upon the local newspaper where the headlines stated the reforming of a new Justice League. The new Batman was barely seen in the photograph, but Dick would recognize the figure anywhere. Terry McGinnis, the new Batman, had tried to find him for months in hoping to learn more about Bruce. Yet, Dick didn't return any of the messages.

"Then how the hell did he find me," questioned Dick to the empty air. "_Either way, if the kid found you, it means he might have potential. Who knows what this new Batman is capable of_? _If anything were to go wrong, he could take over_," whispered a dark voice in Dick's mind.

Shoulders sagging, Dick nodded making up his mind. Placing the beer on the counter, he began making dinner.

When the warm smell of soup filled up the cabin and the table set, Dick marched over and opened the door taking in the figure before him. The kid was still standing there with over an inch of snow on his shivering form. "I've got some extra food, so come on in before you catch a cold."

Kevin nodded thanks, shaking off the snow. Stomping his boots clean on the porch, his freezing body welcoming the warmth of the cabin. His stomach rumbled at the smell of dinner. Shifting his gaze downwards, Kevin cleared his throat. "Sorry about that sir."

"At least you have manners," commented Dick smirking as he remembered the blenching contests between Cyborg and Beastboy. "Come and eat, before it gets cold."

So, the pair sat across from each other on the simple table. Kevin sipped his soup in silence, his body slowly relaxing as the broth seeped into his body. Dick, who finished his soup first, eyed the young man. It was clear now without the jacket and hat that the boy was in shape and his hands revealed a working lifestyle.

"Military?"

"Army brat," stated Kevin. "Look, Mr. Grayson. You weren't my first choice."

Dick raised his eyebrow and took a sip of his beer, "Oh?"

Kevin frowned and lowered his spoon. Picking up his own bottle of beer, the young man took a sip of an expert. "I figured that if you didn't want to be found, then I shouldn't bother your privacy. But, I talked to Terry and he wouldn't take me in. The man thinks he should take the mission on his shoulders alone and said that Gotham doesn't need a Robin."

"Terry's right, Gotham doesn't need a Robin."

The abrupt tone of Dick surprised Kevin. Shooting a confused face at the elder man, Kevin shook his head, "I don't understand."

"Yeah well, the image of Robin has been destroyed by the Joker," sighed Dick, a painful shimmer entering his eyes as he remembered the broken form of Tim. "Not to mention that Batman owns Robin now."

"But you created him, you should be in charge of what happens to him."

Dick chuckled darkly, "Well, Batman has a way of making things go his way."

Kevin frowned and leaned back into his chair. Staring at his empty bowl, the young man realized that there was a dark pain coming from Gotham's original heroes. Everything they fought against never stopped and only seemed to get worse as time progressed. It wasn't because Dick didn't think he was worthy, Kevin concluded. It was because for the first time Kevin wondered if he could truly do this line of work. To work day and night in a seemingly endless, futile war against crime made the young man gaze into himself. Did he have the strength to fight on despite the odds?

"Why do you want join Terry?" questioned Dick, eying Kevin with a gaze that made the young man shift in his seat. It seemed as if the man was peering into his soul.

"Because he needs help."

"And that's it?"

Kevin took another sip and pondered over the question. "I'm not out to save the world, sir. I realize now that it won't be a glorious job and death will probably be a common thing. I don't even know if I have the strength to do it. But I know that every time I see Terry going out to fight the Joker Gang or any other criminal that soon someone is going to take advantage that the man doesn't have someone protecting his back and then Gotham will not have a Batman once again." Pausing, he finished his beer. "Besides, who's going to watch Gotham when Batman's called off to do work for the Justice League. It's always better to have too many heroes than too little." Sliding the chair back, Kevin bowed slightly, "Thank you for dinner, but I think I will leave now. And thanks for knocking some sense into me."

Leaving the table, Kevin began to dress near the front door. Dick shifted and watched the young man, pondering over his parting words. It seemed the kid finally understood what it meant to be a hero. If he entered this world without the idealistic view then maybe he could survive. Propping an arm on the head off the chair, Dick smirked. The kid had the brains for sure. He had the spirit in wanting to protect Gotham. Kevin was also a bit like Dick in wishing to ease Batman's burden, for it sounded like Terry was becoming another Bruce. All he needed was skill and…

"Gotham doesn't need a Robin," started Dick.

"I know that sir," whispered Kevin's voice, which seemed to be a strained due to the angry loss of being rejected by his only hope of helping Gotham.

"I didn't finish," shot back Dick. Standing up, the older man grinned and he suddenly felt an old familiar rush of adrenaline pump through his veins. It was like starting the Teen Titans all over again, gazing onto a blank slate and realizing he was given a second chance to help the world. Except this time, Dick knew that life had presented a way to leave behind his own legacy to help future generations.

"Robin is dead, until the world is ready for him again. But," sending a challenging smirk towards Kevin, Dick couldn't help but keep the dark joy out of his voice. "Having a Nightwing running around wouldn't do any harm."

Kevin halted in tying his boot on and stared wide-eye at the floor. As if he didn't believe what he was hearing, the younger man gazed slowly up at Dick. "Sir?"

"We'll start your training by you doing the dishes," ordered Dick. "Well?"

Kevin blinked before sending his own grin at Dick. Kicking off his boot and folding his coat back on the bench, he made his way to the table. Saluting Dick, the kid let his relief and joy relay the unspoken message of thanks. "Yes sir!"

Dick laughed. Picking up his beer, he was about to take another drink when he stopped. Kevin had his own beer glass raised and staring at each other, they both reached out and clinked their glasses together.

--A few years later--

Dick found himself oddly enough gazing out a large glass window onto the green grass of Wayne Manor. Years of unkept work made the large gardens wild. The small, precise thumping of a stink against the marble floor marked the approach of another in the study. The sliding of paper across the desk pulled Dick's attention downwards to take in the survaillance picture. The picture displayed what appeared to be a twenty something with dark brown hair taking out three members of Two-Face's gang. Nothing was visible except the dark blue V-shape against the black uniform.

"I'm guessing you had something to do with this," stated the precise cold voice of Bruce Wayne.

Smirking, Dick narrowed his blue eyes onto the fragile form of his one-time mentor. The said man was leaning heavily on his cane, the haggered breaths betraying the stern look on Bruce's face. "Define something." The deep frown on Bruce's face at the vague answer made the younger man chuckle inside.

"Terry's been upset with this new addition. He doesn't approve." The dark pause would have made a younger Dick twinge inside, but no more. Bruce continued, falling automatically into Batman's growl, "I don't approve."

"I'm not seeking your approval anymore, Bruce." Stuffing his hands into his pockets, Dick shifted and faced Bruce full on. "I let you take Robin away, but I won't let the same thing happen to Nightwing. He's my creation and I will do what I want with him."

"The kid can't handle it-"

"Oh, trust me, he can."

"Dick."

Tilting his head to the side, Dick Grayson offered Bruce a challenging smile. "You're afraid Nightwing is going to best Batman. Look, Bruce, let them play with each other and then decide."

Bruce pondered over Dick's words. Easing into his chair, the elder man who once was the fearing Batman gazed out onto the gardens. Closing his eyes, the brief nod signaled his acceptance of the challenge. "Fine."

Dick nodded in return, "Good. And if Terry accepts Nightwing, you owe me."

"What?" The sharp gaze zoomed on Dick.

"I'll think about it," turning around, Dick began to walk out when Bruce replied. "You're just like Slade, making shady deals."

Dick only flickered a small goodbye, fighting back the pain of the remark.

A few days later, the old partners met up and watched as the new Batman accepted the new Nightwing as his partner. After a small dinner, and a few sparring matches, Dick decided to head back home. When all was quiet, Bruce sat in the dark cave petting the loyal lab at his feet. Cold eyes gazed at the glass showcase at the two empty spots. The Nightwing costume was gone as well as the original Robin costume. With no witnesses present, Bruce allowed himself a small geniune smile. For the first time, he was able to fully believe that the future rested in the right hands of the next generation of superheroes.


	17. A Lost Mastermind

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans or even LOST.

A/N: So you can tell I've been watching way too much LOST when my brain decides to come up with this drabble. Sorry to those who don't watch LOST, for there will be spoilers. Now, for a little intro: the LOST character's name is Ben, who's the leader of The Others. I love his character in that he knows to manipulate people, sound like someone we all love ;). Yet, the thing with Ben is that you don't truly know if he's the true villain of the show, which is another bonus for him.

With that little snippet out of the way, you're all probably thinking what does this have to do with the Teen Titans? Well, I got this crazy idea of what if Ben and Slade met up. Yes, strangest crossover/idea I've ever had. But the idea wouldn't leave me so here I am typing it up late at night. As a time marker, the drabble takes some place during the Apprentice episodes for Slade needs a little help in handling a certain Boy Wonder.

**A Lost Mastermind**

Slade rested his metal mask off to the side. Normally, he wouldn't do such a thing in front of guest, but this was no ordinary guest. Slade would even put it past the man that there is a file on the Jump City criminal somewhere on his little island containing every bit of information. But on an important note, the man knew how to keep a secret which was always a bonus.

The man in perspective reached out and poured himself a glass of ice-tea. "I'm assuming this is not poisoned."

Slade chuckled, "What type of host do you take me for, Ben?"

Ben, whose full names was Benjamin Linus, peered over his round spectacles. The piercing green eyes showed no fear as they fixated themselves on Slade. The criminal who was currently plaguing Jump City looked the same since the last time they met. The smooth square jaw, the single gray eye staring straight him and the black patch covering one eye that disappeared into the cropped blond hair that was beginning to be streaked with white.

Reaching up, Ben took off his glasses. Folding in the frame, he laid them gently on the table before picking up the glass and taking a small sip. Letting the sweet liquid trickle down his throat, Ben let his gaze wander to the rough hands of his companion, the fingers drumming silently on the table. The man was the perfect specimen of military might and cunning, which made their meeting a bit strange. And it also seemed that the man was a bit irked as well with his decision.

"I must say I was surprised in receiving this invitation," started Ben. Leaning slightly back, he allowed a small smile to show his amusement. "You were lucky that I was off the island or we might not be having this conversation."

Slade scoffed and reached out to pour himself a glass. "Yes, well, something has turned up and I need a different perspective into a situation."

"You need my help."

The criminal shot a dark glare across the table, his eye narrowing into a slit. The small clink of ice against glass was nothing compared to the deathly silence in the room. Slade continued to stare at his companion, hating himself for calling upon a man who could read through his words like they were an open book and had the courage to speak his mind. If it wasn't for the man's status, connections and skill, Slade would have killed him the first time they met.

The two continued to size each other up. Ben mused silently over the mere fact that he had delivered a blow and was now calculating a counter-strike. Meanwhile, Slade took in the man's appearance. Dressed in a black pants with a gray business shirt and a black vest and tie to complete look, Ben looked nothing like a leader of a group of mysterious people called The Others. Nor did he look like one of the most wanted men on the planet. Instead, Ben had a weak build about him. It was clear he wasn't a warrior and tended to be on the receiving end of the punches. The cropped brown hair, wide-eyed face would have one thinking Ben was a quiet office worker trapped in a cubicle. But, Slade had been witness to the fierce punches and cruel tactics of the man, who rather use words to kill a man instead of brute force.

The only man Slade would dare to state was up near his caliber blinked and shifted those unsettling eyes to the hallway off the side. Just then a loud bang resonated down into the large chamber. Slade sighed, rubbing his temple with his bare hand. Ben smiled even more. The one-eyed criminal hid his disgust under the guise of taking another drink as another loud bang was followed by an indiscernible shout.

"This must be the something," commented Ben, with a slight joking tone in his average voice.

"His name is Richard Grayson, ward of Bruce Wayne, also known as Robin the Boy Wonder. But you probably knew all that," mocked Slade.

Ben shook his head slightly, "No. I've been busy these past months, Slade, in clearing away a mess some people created."

"I'm free-"

"I am good, got my own personal assassin. But thank you for offering." Bowing his head slightly, Ben allowed his gratitude towards the mastermind to show.

Slade raised his eye in surprise, "When did this happen?"

"Just recently. But clearly, we did not come here to chat about my activities."

"No. But you were right, Robin is the problem," began Slade. He fought back any hints of the embarrassment he was enduring in asking someone to help him tame his little bird. "I just recently obtained the leader of the Titans and blackmailed him into becoming my apprentice."

Ben nodded, "Blackmail usually works."

"Yes, but even with the threat of his friends over his head, the boy still continues to fight back," pointed out Slade. He watched as Ben raised a hand and tapped his finger lightly on his lip, eyes zeroing on a spot on the table.

"Then you must constantly remind him."

Slade wanted to roll his eye and slap the man. He already exhausted all possibilities to control Robin, yet the boy continued to break out of his room and try to escape. "Clearly you have better suggestions."

Ben laughed curtly, "Of course. I mean, a child-"

"Teenager," corrected the one-eyed villain.

"Teenager," restated Ben, "should not be such trouble." Slade heard the silent undertones beneath those six words. What Ben was doing was reminding Slade of his achievenements: conning a con man, plagued a woman with doubt over whom she loved, swayed a man betray his friends, forced another question his faith and lastly made a logical man sell his soul. With such accomplishments, taming a rebelling teenager should not be a challenge for the little man.

Sighing deeply, Slade wanted to punch the man hard right then and there. Not only was the man rubbing in his accomplishments but he was also demeaning Slade. It wasn't everyday that a fellow mastermind found out that Slade could not handle a mere child. "_No challenge_?" sneered a dark voice, "_Fine_, l_et's see how you handle the feisty brat_?" The thought of abandoning Robin with the leader was tempting, but Slade's pride at wanting to be the one to break the boy smothered it within a second.

Chuckling to conceal his hurt pride, Slade rose from the chair and with a push of a button revealed a pile of unrecognizable robots. "Not a challenge? Ben, Ben, Ben. This isn't the island and you're under a timed clock, each second giving the Titans a chance to find their missing leader."

"The Titans are not smart enough to find him, if you have hid your tracks Slade," countered Ben. Those green eyes were forced not to blink, driving his point home in an eerie gaze.

Slade frowned and placed a fisted hand on his hip, "Don't underestimate them, Ben. Their loyalty to Robin is inhuman. They will rip this city apart to find him."

Ben took a sip and swirled the liquid around in the glass, "Then why not leave?"

Slade gazed down at Ben, letting surprise show on his face. The flash of confusion Ben's face made him grin inside. "You haven't figured it out yet, Ben, I'm surprised."

"Then enlighten me," stated Ben, with a hint of anger in his voice. His pride had received a blow and now the game was on.

Sitting back down, Slade folded his arms on the table and leaned forward. "If he stays home, the greater the fall will be."

"Are you so certain?"

A smile spread across Slade's features, darkening them in the pale light. "It will be like inflicting a wound on one-self, Ben. He will steal and hurt the very people he swore to protect."

Sliding his hand to the side, the villain picked up his mask. Keeping his eye on Ben, Slade locked the mask over his face. "Even if he did escape, the city would constantly be a rememberence of his betrayal."

Ben had shifted, hating that dark purr coming from the villain. Folding his arms across his chest, Ben soaked in Slade's words. "Very good, Slade. I'm impressed. If you have it all figured out, then why do you need my advice?"

Ben's question went unanswered when the clicking of steel boots marked the entrance of two robots holding a struggling Robin between them. Throwing the boy towards the table, the robots stood guard at the hallway. Robin reached out and grabbed the edge of the table to hold himself steady. His masked eyes didn't register Ben's appearance, only focusing all its' heated rage at Slade.

"What the hell do you want Slade?" sneered Robin.

Slade tilted his head to the side, "For starters be polite in front of guests, apprentice."

"I am not you apprentice!" yelled Robin.

"My, he has a set of lungs on him," whispered Ben to Slade, who chuckled in return.

Realizing that he had been mocked, Robin jerked his head towards the other man. His appearance caught the Boy Wonder off guard. The round-face smiling man stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the dark chamber and the sound of gears turning. He couldn't help but remember Anthony Hopkins' Lectar from _Silence of the Lambs_ sitting in a cell with that same shivering smile upon a pale face. What would Slade need such a feeble, creepy looking man for?

"Robin, this is Henry Gale," introduced Slade, using one of Ben's aliases.

Extending his hand out for a shake, Ben poured a friendly warmth on his face by extending his smile. "Hello Robin. I've heard so much about you."

Robin knocked away the hand and lunged himself into Ben's face, "Why are you here? Why are you working for Slade?"

Ben closed his eyes, shaking his head in disappointment. "I am not working for Slade, dear child. But I must ask you why you are so upset?"

"Upset? Upset!" The word seemed to knock Robin clean out of his senses. Instead of falling into confused silence like Ben expected, Robin stepped back and pointed at his black and orange uniform. "I'm not upset! This man has threatened my friends. He blackmailed me into working for him. Upset? Oh I'm above upset!"

"Your anger shows as such," sighed Ben, shooting Slade a look. The villain truly did have his hands full with this fiery child. No words seemed to calm the child down, but only infuriated him. And from what he could see through his stance and permanent scowl, Robin had a stubborn will and pride that made finding his weakness hard to exploit. It was almost like dealing with Jack, the stubborn crazy doctor surprising him at the most inconvenient times.

Robin's eyes flickered back and forth between the pair, his temper decreasing slightly. "What's going on here?"

"Nothing," mused Slade.

"Nothing?" hissed Robin. "Why I oughta-" With that the boy was about to lunge and punch Slade's lights out when a soft yet stern voice broke the roaring storm that was his mind.

"Oh the endless possibilities to break such a fiery soul are endless."

Skidding to a halt, Robin felt his blood chill towards the voice. Knowing that he had a captive audience, Ben focused his all-seeing gaze on the small figure allowing the corner of his mouth to curve into a smile. "To witness you no longer fighting against Slade but for him, to see you destroy the very city you swore to protect…"

Robin turned and chocked out harsh reply. "Shut up! I was talking to Slade-"

Ben tilted his head downward, so his gaze seemed to peer right into Robin's soul. "To no longer have to fight for your master's attention."

"Wh-what?"

Slade kept quiet soaking in Robin's slightly trembling form while keeping notes on Ben's tactics. Within less than a minute, it seemed the ordinary man was breaking through walls as if they were made of paper instead of the steel in which Slade came into contact with.

"This rage you feel towards Slade is merely a cover up, Robin," began Ben. "A physical denial to the fact that you adore Slade's attention. So much that you are willing to trick yourself into believing that this blackmail is the reason why you are here wearing his colors." Pausing, Ben let his words become mere whispers before continuing, "All to hide the fact that you are enjoying being Slade's apprentice, of being on the other side of the law."

Robin felt his lips part in shock. His breaths became slightly haggard. "You're wrong!" Clenching his fists, Robin let his growing anger and fear towards this man rear its' ugly head. He didn't know how or want to know how Ben came to such stark conclusions. "I hate being Slade's apprentice. And let me tell something else, being on this side of the law sucks."

Spinning on his heel, Robin marched up to the robots.

"Where are you going, Robin?" called out Slade to the boy's retreating back.

"Back to my room! Call me when you're ready to get your face beaten into the floor," shout back Robin. Pushing himself between the robots, he disappeared with the metal guards behind him.

Ben released a sigh and took one final sip. "There. I gave you a small crack to work with."

Slade sent a questioning gaze to his companion. "How?"

The man shrugged as he stood up, gazing down at his buzzing beeper. "A mere shot in the dark, Slade. Pride always tends to be a major weakness amongst the male gender of our species. Now, if you excuse me I have a date with someone."

Slade nodded, extending his hand, "Of course. Another time, then Ben."

"Delighted as always," replied Ben as he shook the villain's hand.

A robot appeared and escorted Ben out of Slade's headquarters. Alone now in the chamber, Slade removed his mask and took another sip of the tea. Ben had indeed helped in starting a crack, but it was on something that Slade already had guessed on. Though, the man did not offer a new perspective on the situation, his tactics had made Slade rethink his own.

Pride would always tame the bird but Slade wanted another weakness to exploit in order to gain complete control. And thankfully during Ben's little revelation, he had spotted it. As Ben accused Robin of being in denial, he saw the telltale signs of Robin's pride in the boy's tense shoulders and clenched fists. But it was the slight shift of his right foot that indicated that Robin did agree with Ben's statement. On some level, the boy knew he enjoyed the situation he was in. But unlike other people who merely needed words, Slade knew that the boy wouldn't accept it without proof.

"Then I'll just have to show you," whispered Slade as he placed the glass down. Locking the mask back in place, the villain smiled. Pride might be the downfall for most men but Ben was wrong with Robin. The child was special and thus his downfall would be unique. And it would be love not pride that would be his undoing.

--------------------------

A/N: So I hope you guys enjoyed this. The whole love thing is where Slade got the idea of showing Robin that he enjoyed stealing for him. Just in case, you guys were wondering. Also, it was a bit hard for me to catch Ben's character, so I hope he came through ok. Otherwise, take care!


	18. So Not Cool

Disclaimer: Don't own any of these guys.

A/N: So it's April 1st, and I thought who could make this day extra special for the Titans. And then it hit me. Now, warning this might be a bit dark and sadistic, but it couldn't be help considering who the villain is.

**So not cool**

This was bad

It was an average day, nothing special till:

The Tower signaled a break in at Pete's Toy Store. The massive store had just opened up the day before revealing to the public the life size toys, dolls and other cool gizmos. It didn't take them long to arrive at the crime scene.

Four massive men dressed in polka-dotted outfits reached for their guns as the Titans crashed into the building. Robin immediately noticed two men were cramming the money in a big red bag, while the other two where smashing electronic toys, taking only their chips.

"Dude, not cool!" Cyborg's love for machine's made the older man launch himself at the two thieves, tackling one of them to the floor. His partner leapt for the bag holding all the chips. Starfire followed suit, sending a green bolt at the red bag. The blast burnt the thief's hand, sending the bag crashing into a huge teddy bear. The thief screamed but soon was silenced as the alien princess gently knocked him out with a punch.

Off to the side, Raven encased the moneybag in black and sent it flying up onto the propeller of plan that was dangling from the ceiling. Beastboy made quick work of the two thieves by morphing into a stegosaurus. With one swipe of his tail, the changeling knocked the two stunned thieves into the Lego display of a castle. The castle shattered and buried the criminals underneath.

Cyborg was tying up the other criminals with a jump rope. "Well that was easy."

Beastboy laughed as he morphed back, "I know."

Starfire immediately flew to Robin's side, her joy of another victory diminishing as she took in Robin's frown. "Why are you not happy with the victory?"

"Cause something's not right…" whispered Robin, "It's all too familiar…"

Just then the back wall exploded. The Titans took immediate coverage. And through the whole crashing of debris, Robin's ear perked up to an all too familiar sound.

This was bad. Scratch that, this was uber bad. No, scratch that out as well. This just plain out sucked. Seeming satisfied with that description, Robin's brain kicked started itself. Coughing, he shook away the dust while throwing an explosive bird-a-rang at the looming dark shadow. Another explosion rocked the store sending two figures careening forward through the dust cloud.

"Umph!" "OW!"

The two distinctive sounds, one deep while the other was definitely from a female, confirmed Robin's fears.

"Titans, be on guard!"

Cyborg gazed up from his spot, shooting his leader a sarcastic 'Really?' look. Beastboy popped up as a dog, shaking away the dust in his fur. "Dude what was with the-"

"Hey! Is that who I think it is?"

Robin cringed inwardly as the dust finally cleared away revealing the two figures. A strange sight greeted the Titans. A tall, lanky man with bright green hair and bleach white skin was standing with his white-gloved hands perched on his hip. The purple suit, green tie and bowler shoes did nothing to balance the bright red permanent grin on the man's face. Crazy dark blue eyes gleamed in an unnatural light as they stared with joy on Robin. Next to the man, a woman in a black and red Harlequin jumpsuit staggered up to her feet, two white balls dangling off of her hat. Beady blue eyes glared underneath a black mask set against a white painted face and black lips.

Hoisting a revolver on her shoulder, the woman flashed a grin and pointed at Robin. "Oh my god, it is him!"

Robin gulped but fought against from taking a step back. He felt the Titans send him a strange look, wondering who these two people were. It was Beastboy, whose mind clicked first, remembering the stories he heard a member of the Doom Patrol.

"You-you're-" stammered the changeling.

Yet once again the clown interrupted Beastboy. Throwing his arms wide, the laughing man swaggered forward. "Well if ain't Robin! What, ain't ya gonna say hi to your Uncle Joker?"

Somehow words managed to break through clenched teeth. "What the hell are you doing here?"

The Clown Prince of Crime halted in his steps, a flash of hurt crossing the white face. "Such a harsh tone. We need to fix that, don't we Harley?"

"Oh yes we do Mister J!" giggled the vixen.

Starfire swallowed, not liking these new strangers. "Robin, why does the clown say that he is your uncle?"

Body shaking, Robin tried to keep his voice semi-civilian. "He. Is. Not. My. Uncle."

Joker laughed, arms opened wide. "Aw, I'm hurt. Haven't I been the most loving uncle you've ever had, bird boy? Didn't I always send you presents every Christmas?"

"Exploding bombs," growled Robin.

The laughter died down to snickering, "Well, then I must express _undying_ love for you." A snap of the wrist and Joker aimed a pistol straight at Robin's chest. "If I remember, red was such a beautiful color on you. And this time…" all cheerfulness disappeared revealing a dark, space cold voice from the clown. "No Pointy-ears is going to save you."

As the trigger finger squeezed on the trigger, Robin tried to move his body. But all he could do was remember the first time. Batman and him had caught the Joker in a desolate ally. The clown had been pulling a major bank heist using laughing gas bouncy balls. Joker was almost out when the dynamic duo crashed the party. After a few punches, exploding bombs, razor sharp cards and darting acidic flower spray, Batman and Robin finally cornered the Joker.

_"Don't look so serious, Batsy!" Joker laughed as he drew a pistol like he was in a western movie._

_Batman didn't take any chances and lunged at the lunatic. The bullet went roaring past his ear. With a quick right kick, the Dark Knight knocked the gun away from Joker. With two powerful head punches, the Joker was once again appended by his archnemesis._

_"Robin, contact the police." With no instant reply, Batman turned. "Robin?" Turning, he felt all the blood drain from his face._

_Robin was still standing in his original position. Paling blue lips trembled as a shaky hand touched the blooming red spot on his chest. "B-bat-man."_

The bullet had ended Robin's carefree innocence. That deadly projectile had been a few inches from his heart, but it was still powerful enough to damage the dynamic duo's relationship. Batman exploded in a fit of worry and rage that Robin was not ready as much as he thought. Soon after, the bird flew the coup, quitting his position as Batman's sidekick instead of turning in his colors.

Blinking slowly, he waited for that blinding white pain of metal tearing through his flesh to occur. With an otherworldly sight, he watched as the gloved finger pulled the trigger. The hammer struck the percussion bulb sending sparks to ignite the gunpowder and send the metal bullet caring out its' barrel.

Instead, blue and white confetti burst forth. Erupting from the center, a sign unraveled. The word BANG was printed in large bold letters. Joker lowered the gun, his ear-to-ear grin revealing a row of sharp white teeth. "April Fools."

Fear turned into boiling rage. Screaming, he leapt into the air. Joker roared into laughter, "Don't tell me fell-" A steel boot slammed into the man's face, breaking his nose, cracking his lips open and sending teeth flying out onto the floor. The villain flew into the glass wall of an office.

Harley screamed out, "MR. J! WHY YOU LITTLE BRAT!" Tightening her grip, she swung the revolver at Robin's head. But the hero had already rolled to the left. With a spin kick, the revolver went flying somewhere into the warehouse. Not breaking once, he landed and drove a powerful punch into the woman's gut.

"Owie," spat Harley as she crumbled to the ground in pain.

"Handcuff her," ordered Robin to the Titans as he dashed after a rising Joker.

The white face was now adorned with cuts. A red river was particularly running down the center of his face. Robin skidded in front of the man who had shattered his life. "You should have stayed in Gotham, Joker."

A gurgling laugh splattered more blood onto the ground, "Just thought I try a new prank."

From blood loss coupled with a concussion, Joker slid onto the ground.

"Don't tell me Batman got boring," joked Robin darkly, letting a grin dash across his features.

Joker glanced up with pain filled eyes, taking in the grin. "Good one, bird boy. Batman boring. Hahahahahahahaha!" The maniac laughter continued long past the police handcuffed the villains and soon after an armed transport made its' way to Gotham City.

Robin sighed deeply, letting go of his rage. All of a sudden, he felt extremely tired and old. Nothing like opening old wounds to do the trick. He was just grateful that Joker only planned another robbery instead of his elaborate jokes. Turning, he took in his quiet teammates. "You guys better not have any pranks."

Quickly, the Titans shook their head. This lethal Robin scared them to death. "No." They said in unison.

Robin frowned, narrowing his eyes. "I don't believe you guys, so here's the deal. When we get back, all of you have to clean the Tower, train for two hours at the course, make dinner outside of breakfast and pizza and no videogames or movies."

The whining ensued immediately after he stopped.

"But Robin!"

"Man!"

"What did I do to deserve this?"

"Wonderful."

The complaining continued till the Titans entered their Tower. Starfire, Beastboy, Cyborg and Raven trudged to the cleaning closet to begin their chores. They halted when Robin busted out laughing.

Turning as one, they eyed their leader as if he had grown an extra head. Robin sent a warm smile at his teammates. "April Fool's."

The Titans stared blankly at their leader. Robin let his grin waver. It was a spur of the moment prank. He had needed something to get his mind off of Joker and not remember those painful times. "I'm all up for watching movies and ordering pizza, you guys. Guys?"

"Dude, so not funny," growled Beastboy.

"Yeah man," agreed Cyborg as he cracked his knuckles. "Let's get him."

With that, the two boys pounced on Robin. Yet the agile hero was already leaping over the couch. A second later, Robin bolted out of the man lobby with two angry, hungry men after him.

Starfire gave Raven a confused look. Raven merely shrugged and walked over the kitchen to make herself a pot of tea. "Don't bother trying to understand them, Star. They're from a whole other plane of existence."

The alien princess nodded in acceptance. "But I still do not understand this Fool of April."

"No one does," stated Raven, pulling the alien to the side just as the boys ran past her, throwing stinkballs at Robin.

-Transport-

Joker laid chained to the metal bunk in the truck, grinning with joy in the darkness. That had to be the best April Fool's Day prank he had ever pulled. Coming all this way just to see Robin's blanched face as he squeezed the trigger would keep the Clown Prince of Crime happy for the next month.

Wincing as he scratched his broken nose, Joker wiped off some dried blood and gazed down at the tiny line of light emitting from underneath the doors. Joker was feeling a bit glad to returning back to Gotham. Jump City had been a bit too goody two shoes for his taste. He couldn't wait to try out a new joke he had running through his mind. But lastly, Joker hoped old Batsy hadn't missed him too much.

--

A/N: So yeah, there ya go! Mind you, I don't know all the details that went in with Joke shooting Robin. Hopefully, I can update these up faster, but I'm busy pounding away with Mens Rae. Until next time, take care!


	19. Legacy

Disclaimer: Don't own the show or the comics.

A/N: First off, I'm back. Sorry for the long update. Busy with life and finishing up Mens Rea, but once that story is done I'm hoping to continue with this one. So anyways, I came up with this little guy when I was watching a program on the comic book on the History Channel. It's a great documentary and covers DC and Marvel, the rise and falls of heroes and bringing them into social context. Anyway, they said that Robin was the first sidekick in DC in response to appeal to the young audience who were reading the comics. And what better character than Batman because he was considered a bit too dark for children at the time. And I thought, what would Robin think of being the first? So here we go.

**Legacy**

Everyone had a legacy. Something grand and magnificent that was left behind and carried on through the centuries. Depending on the person it was either good or bad and even forgotten forever, fading into the dust of time. A person or culture's legacy wasn't a thing one would constantly think of such as paying the bills or cleaning the house. Maybe when one was old and let the youngsters take hold of the world, did one begin to ponder his or her legacy.

And oddly enough, Robin found himself in this position. Sitting on a cheap plastic chair nursing his cup of Pepsi, the Boy Wonder found his mind drifting to the single word. He might not appear to be in his 70s or 90s, his body exuding the youth and fitness of an 18 year-old. But his old soul reflected years of hardship, pain, love and contemplation.

Sitting on the rooftop of Titans Tower, Robin watched from his spot the party that was unfolding. The original Titans plus Titans East and the rest of the group all were crowded on the rooftop. Beastboy was supplying the thumping music as Cyborg was working up the grill. Starfire was playing the hostess while Raven kept an eye on the drinks. The chattering of the young superheroes filled the spring air. The blue sky with no cloud in sight and the warm day helped complete the perfect day.

Robin gave a curt nod to Speedy, who waved in his direction. Shifting in his chair, he took a small sip of the soda. Scanning the crowd, the raven-haired boy realized that most of the young superheroes were sidekicks to the older superheroes, some who were members of the Justice League. And others where just kids who were inspired by the Teen Titans and decided to make use of their powers.

"_Either way_", Robin mused, "_We've come a long from a mere five some to pretty much a small army_."

Kid Flash yelled out something to Speedy, pointing as Jinx who clung to his arm, still not comfortable around a bunch of heroes. Speedy laughed and yelled something back that earned a powerful whack on the head from Bumblebee.

Robin couldn't help but chuckle at the scene. This was why he tended to fade into the background. Just like those parties at Wayne Manor, he always tended to watch finding amusement at the stupidity of people. But here was different. He just wanted to treasure each moment with the Titans.

He remembered all too well what it was like back in those first few years of being a superhero. Sure, as Batman's sidekick, he was busy twenty-four seven with never a dull moment in Gotham City. Yet, Robin began to feel alone in the community full of adults. Robin the Boy Wonder was the first sidekick in the superhero world and had been constantly looked down upon as being too young. He had been a mere cog in a large operation that was the world. Then there were others who thought he was a liability, especially for Batman in such a dangerous city. The youth might make the Dark Knight look the wrong way resulting in tragic consequences.

He wasn't worth it. Too young, they would whisper in the background. Nothing special and his talent as an acrobat was the one thing that had made him survive for so long without powers.

Other superheroes did not see why out of all them Batman needed a sidekick, especially one so weak…as one remark resonated in his mind. Robin's new status also made others begin to doubt Batman's position as a hero, pointing out his human status.

A frown dragged down the chipper feeling in Robin. He took another swig of the soda to numb the growing anger. Those first few months were harsh for Batman and Robin. Not only had they have to learn to work with each other and train together, but those comments only added fuel to the fire of resentment. Thankfully, the villains of Gotham, particularly Joker, were briefly shocked before pouncing on the opportunity to hurt the Bats in the worst possible way. But after a few fights, they began to ease off of the Boy Wonder, the reality setting in that he was The Batman's sidekick for a reason.

And there was another blessing in the form of red and blue with a big S. Superman, Robin mused, was like an uncle to him. And when others snapped or jibbed at him, the Man of Steel stood by Robin and Batman declaring that nothing was wrong with youths wanting to stand up for justice. That maybe looking at Robin and other children like him, that the adult heroes would be reminded what they are protecting: the future.

The speech moved some heroes and apologies flooded towards Batman and Robin. It was a little over year, when Robin heard that Green Arrow-a close friend to Batman and another regular human-had a sidekick named Speedy. The resemblances between the two sidekicks were eerie but they hit it off with a bang. Literally. Following soon after, Kid Flash popped onto the scene, a bragging girl named Wonder Girl and an awkward Aqualad.

A smile softened the hard face. Eyes narrowed in on his first four super friends before branching off to Raven, Starfire, Beastboy and Cyborg. Suddenly the poison from the past didn't sting as much as it had before.

"Knew I'd find you hiding from the crowd, Robin."

The smile brightened even more when Robin turned around in his chair staring straight into Superman's eyes. The iconic hero had his arms folded on the roof's edge, hovering just out of sight from the party.

Pearly whites flashed in the sun. "Thought I drop by and say hi."

Robin laughed, "That's fine, Clark." An idea popped in his head, "Hey, why not join us? It is our anniversary today."

Blue eyes shined with modesty. Shaking his head, the dark curl remaining in place, Superman whispered. "No, Dick. This is your guy's party. You've done a lot of great things in five years as Teen Titans."

"But if it wasn't for Bruce's money and you winning the approval of the Justice League council, we might not even be here," pushed back Robin.

"I just said a few words. It was your passion and determination that won them over, Robin." Pointing to the crowd, Superman gave a little nod with his head. Robin turned and took in the teenagers once again. "They're all here because of what you did. You laid the footwork right when you accepted being Batman's sidekick."

Robin felt a blush coming and tilted his head downwards, "You're just saying stuff. I did nothing except brood and mouth off. Alfred's still making me take out the trash for the things I said."

Superman chuckled and placed a large hand on Robin's shoulder, "I think being a leader has made you a bit humble."

"Nah, I'm still arrogant as always."

"Yeah, well I guess that's something I wished you hadn't picked up from Bruce, but hey." With a shrug of his shoulders, Superman patted Robin softly on the shoulder before floating away. "You've done a lot in your life, Robin. Just remember that Bruce and I, heck everyone is proud of you. You've come a long way."

Turning, the Man of Steel gave him a small salute, "If you ever need backup, you got our phone number. But-" Stealing a glance back at all the young superheroes, Superman grinned, "I highly doubt that. Take care!"

"Bye! And thanks!" Robin waved goodbye at his old friend, watching him fly off till he was a mere speck in the sky.

Turning, he gazed down and sighed at the fact that he was out of soda. Rising, Robin took in the Titans once more and realized that this was his legacy to the world. That in the years to come and in the distance future, there would always be a Teen Titans somewhere in the world protecting the truth, fighting for justice and raiding the local pizza joint.

--

A/N: Well, I hope you guys enjoyed it and that it wasn't too short. As for the chronology of came after Robin, I really don't know, so don't quote me please. All I do know is that there was a huge explosion of sidekicks after his debute. Anyways, have a great weekend and enjoy the beautiful weather, barbeque and relax! Take care!


	20. To Torture a bird

Disclaimer: Don't own Titans.

A/N: I DARE you to read.

**To Torture a bird**

"Let me go!"

"No way dude, you're going."

"Am not! Now let go or you both are going to get hurt."

"That was uncalled for," grunt, "Robin let go of the counter!"

"Make me."

"We will."

"Cyborg, le-OW!"

"That was your own fault."

"Hahaha, you look like a baby sucking on your thumb-"

"Beastboy, I swear…"

"Why does a baby suck on their thumb? Does it taste good? Like mustard, perhaps?"

"Star, for crying out loud. Hey, Raven, put me down! Rae, come one! You're the sensible one, what the heck are-"

"Robin, people need help but they need only one and you are the best candidate."

"How the hell did you come up with that conclusion!?"

"This should be painless."

"Raaaaveeeeeeennnnnn!"

Robin staggered out of the black vortex of magic into what appeared a mid-sized room filled with bins of toys, a yellow plastic picnic table, a TV off in the corner and a brown table that housed a sign-in sheet and a can full of money.

And worse was that it was filled with children. Kids ranging from a 16 month old to twelve were running or playing. Sucking on his smashed thumb, that would be fine if two people weren't trying to yank him off the kitchen counter, Robin tried to suppress a shudder.

Realizing that the vortex was gone, he Spotted the exit and took one small step when three women in work-out clothes pounced him.

"Oh thank god, you're here," sighed the red head with relief.

"It seems like our call for help was answered, ladies," grinned an elder brunette.

"Thanks for watching over the kids," chirped a blond, who pecked him on the cheek. "You don't know how much this work-out means to me. It's the only time I can unwind and vent out some frustration. You're a lifesaver."

Blinking, Robin stood dumbfounded in the room unconsciously waving back at the three women. The moms vanished behind his only exit revealing to him that beyond the door was a large dance floor where a bunch of women were starting a warm-up session. Across the sea of wood, he spotted the glass door that lead to the outside. And tacked on the wall was a huge sign in black and white letters with flowers painted on.

Jazzercise. He was in a Jazzercise work-out center, stuck with babysitting the kids while their moms had some alone time. Fists tightened into green balls while his teeth grinded into each other. The Titans would so pay for leaving him to this job. All he had done was walk into the kitchen for a snack and in less than a second they had jumped him. As the music started to thump away a woman close to the door reached out to the knob, smiled, waved and closed it with a loud click. That was it. He was sealed in.

A small tug eased away the nightmarish thoughts. If the Titans thought Trigon was bad, just wait till he got his hands on them. Turning his gaze downwards, Robin took in a freckled girl in a red-checkered dress. Her straw-berry blond hair was up in pigtails.

"Mistha," spoke the girl, revealing that she had her two front teeth gone, "Thath baby over thera stinksth."

"_This was it_", thought Robin. His escape route was closed off by a bunch of sweating moms who wouldn't like it that their children and work-out was interrupted. That and he was a good guy deep down, running out on kids would just be cruel. Sighing out the remaining embers of his rage, Robin eyed the baby in question.

Walking over, Robin took a deep breath and held it as he bent down. The 16 month year old giggled, his chubby hands waving about while spit landed squarely on his Spiderman logo shirt. Robin's eyebrow twitched. The brat was a fan of that _stupid_ comic book hero when an even cooler one existed in real life. Well, technically he couldn't blame the baby, but still it stung.

Tucking his hands underneath the boy's arm, he hauled him over his head so that he could take a small sniff from his butt. It was less than one second when his nose registered the foul stench. Stretching out the baby as far as he could, Robin began to gag.

"Oh my god, that is DISGUSTING!" chocked out Robin, "Even Beastboy's stank balls don't smell this bad!"

Laughter gathered behind him. Turning, Robin saw the little girl joined by what appeared to be her twin brother except he wore jean overalls.

"_Their mom must like the farm theme_," stated Robin. "Hey, would you guys know which is his…diaper bag?"

The little girl tilted her head, sticking her tongue out of the gap, "His nameth Gabe."

"Gabe, got it." But before he could even reach the table that housed the bags, a black boy bounded up to him.

"Teacher," asked the boy in a pitch too high.

Robin shot his eyes downwards noticing how the boy had his hands twisted in his green shirt. His dark blue jeaned leg was twisting inwards. "_Oh please now, don't say 'I have go to the bathroom' please_!" pleaded Robin. On some deeper level, he couldn't believe that he was in here less than ten minute and he was already begging.

"Can you please put in the Wiggles?"

"S-sure," smiled Robin shyly, but inside his mind was screaming, "_What are the Wiggles!?_"

The boy beamed a smile and walked towards the TV with Robin in tow. Thankfully, the child pulled out the mentioned video. Popping in the video, Robin stepped back a couple inches to soak in the four Australian guys who wore single colored shirts. After some introduction, the music and dance moves began. And right on que, the boy started to dance his own cute little way to the music.

Robin sighed, fighting the urge to smirk as he turned to face the other munchkins that terrorized the small room. The five year-old group seemed content playing with the massive Lego bricks and wooden blocks. The older kids, he had feeling he would have to keep an eye on, were as of now pounding away on their Nintendo games.

Taking in the situation, Robin nodded that he should start with going around and getting every kid's name. However, the farmer kids bounded up to him.

"Mistha, that baby!"

Oh right. Taking in a deep breath, Robin walked carefully back to the giggling baby and the diaper of doom. Shivering, he reached down and picked up the child. "Hey there kiddo."

The baby went silent, wide eyes blinking at the strangely colored creature before him. Robin gulped not sure what to make of this silence. A strong tug on his cape sent Robin chocking. He held the baby high as he staggered backwards. Twisting to release his cape, he turned and took in the boy in the overalls. His sister was right next to him holding a bag.

"_God, that kid's got an arm_," gasped Robin. "W-What?"

"Bag!" Holding up the bag, the girl smiled her toothless mouth.

"Thanks, hey could-" Robin turned his attention to three older kids, looking to see who might be the oldest. Yet, the moment they felt his gaze the three simultaneously looked up from their video games. Seething 'don't-you-dare-even-ask' stares that made Robin want to hide underneath the table met his white mask. Gulping, Robin turned robotically down to the siblings. "watch the kids for me while I change him?"

"Sureth!" spat the two kids, their grins making him back away from the crowd towards a small corner where the diaper table was located. With no bathroom in sight, Robin flickered a gaze back at the older kids, jumping slightly to find their evil glares still on him. Batman's Bat glare and Slade's stone glare would lose to these kids with no questions asked.

Setting the baby on the table, Robin shifted his collar upwards over his mouth and nose. Rolling his shoulders, Robin opened the bag and pulled out a clean diaper, thanking the mom for putting in a plastic bag for the dirty diaper. Pulling out the wipes, he turned to face the curious face of the baby.

"Here goes nothing." When all was said and done and the baby went back to crawling on the floor towards the pile of baby toys, Robin concluded that walking into Hell and fighting fire demons was a mere blip when changing diapers. The stench, the brown texture, the hands on…

Robin leaned onto the wall, pulling down his shirt collar as he gulped for fresh air. His stomach was twisting in every which way. A shift of his head and Robin laid his eyes on the cleaning station and the plastic bag that held the contaminated article. He had done it. Robin the Boy Wonder had successfully cleaned and put on a new diaper on a baby without any hassles.

Smiling shakily, he wanted to yelp in joy and parade around to people that he could change a diaper. But his dignity stopped him from such an act. Eyes fell once more to looking at the kids. Two twin siblings were sitting on the floor coloring but every three minutes gazed up at him smiling a scary grin. The older kids were lost once more in their own world. The boy was still dancing. Everyone was occupied and seemed happy.

"Maybe this won't be so bad," whispered Robin, feeling hope rise in him.

If only he knew…

That it was only the beginning. If only he remembered that first appearances where never what they seem. That by the time the hour-long work out class was over, all the hope would be gone and his limits of physical and mental endurance would be stretched thin and snapped.

**Teen Titans' Tower**

Starfire, Beastboy and Raven were all peering over Cyborg's massive shoulders. The eldest, computer genesis hero was driving a small remote car with a joystick towards the glass door of the Jazzercise workout center.

"Weeellll," whispered Beastboy in anticipation. "Where is he?"

Cyborg frowned, "The babysitting room must be in the back, meaning we'll only pick up audio."

"Fine by me!" Beastboy disappeared for a second before reappearing again, "All set and ready to record!" He held up a blank tape in all of its' shiny glory.

Starfire giggled, "Yes it would be funny to do the recording of life."

Raven shook her head, "You all are in big trouble."

Beastboy slithered up to Raven, "And who was the one who sent Robin there in the first place?"

"Oh shut up," hissed the Goth.

"I got something!" shouted Cyborg. Freeing one ear from the headphones, he turned up the speakers. Amongst the background noise of children laughing, playing and talking, the stern voice of Robin could be heard clearly in a straining tone.

"_Get back here!"_

"_No, no more Barney!"_

"_What did I say about throwing things like they were baseballs in room?!"_

"_No running!"_

"_Don't wake up the baby!"_

"_Take that crayon out of your mouth!"_

"_Don't draw on the wall!"_

"_Kid, no Telletubbies either. Go pick some other movie."_

"_What did I say—Don't give me that evil glare! Hey, OW!!"_

Closing the connection, the Titans looked at each other before bursting out in pure laughter.

Yet one person was not laughing. In fact, he wanted to crawl into a corner and cry. Robin's eyes begged up at the clock for it to be a mere thirty seconds before the moms came back and free him. But instead, there was fifteen minutes left. Robin bit back a sob as the older kids continued to throw nerf balls at each from across the room. The baby had been woken up during the commotion and now was wailing in his ear as he tried to calm the baby by gently rubbing his back and adding a slight bounce to his step.

Thankfully, the little dancing boy had stopped asking for a new movie and let Robin pick the next one. It was _The Emperor's New Groove_ and it worked like a charm. In a snap, all the little kids were sitting in front of the TV, glued to watching a talking lama laugh at a squirrel.

"I'll have write Disney and thank them for coming up with it," sighed Robin.

Turning, he glanced at the twins and shivered to see them staring right at him. Sending a weak smile, he watched with paranoia as they turned back to coloring. Those kids were getting freaky by the second.

"Sheesh, it's ok." Rocking the baby once more, he felt drool and tears seep into his uniform. He grimaced at feeling the sticky liquid. Well, now his uniform was tarnished. Great.

Behind him trailed the farmer kids, the girl blabbering on about singing and doing funny faces. Like how could a mere kid know how to handle a baby.

"Soaps!" spat the pig-tailed girl.

"Wonderful," muttered Robin as he tried to drown out the annoying voice of the girl and breath when the occassional jerk of his cape from her brother sent him spinning backwards.

Looking up once more, Robin felt his tried, frayed nerves strain to hold together. Ten minutes left. And he could feel the children get restless by the second. Not good at all. Trailing now along the floor at all the toys strewn out, he knew that clean-up would be a pain in the butt.

**-Twenty minutes later-**

Beastboy replayed the recording for the twentieth time. The Titans burst out laughing once more, never getting tired of hearing Robin trying to control a bunch of kids. Their big, stoic, strict, no-questions-asked policy leader couldn't control a group of kids alone for an hour.

"I'm so glad you're finding this amusing," growled a cold voice.

The Titans screamed in fear, leaping from their chairs to cower near the kitchen counter. Before them stood a disheveled, panting Robin whom remotely smelled like baby powder.

"U-um, hi there, Robin," smiled Cyborg. "Did you save the day?"

The stone face of their leader changed like weather. Straightening his back, Robin sent them a pleasant yet manical smirk. "I did. And I must say it was most beneficial."

Pulling out a wad of cash from his pockets, he ran his thumb over it as he pretended to count the money. "I told the mothers they didn't need to pay but they insisted and said we could spend it as pizza money."

The Titans felt their mouths drop slightly open at the money. With that amount rolling in, they could create a whole pizza fund and have pizza nights every two days instead of four.

Beastboy licked his lips, trying to stop the drool from dripping on the floor, "R-really?"

Robin flashed that golden smirk once more, "Yep. Well, if you don't mind, I'm going to take a quick shower before we start training." Tucking the cash back in his pocket, he reached the top of the stairs before pivoting around and snapping his fingers. "Oh and I sighed up you guys up for a time next week too."

"Sweet!" shouted Beastboy, Cyborg and Starfire. The two boys mind shifting to what they could buy with the money. Starfire thought of all the glorious Tamerian games she could show the children of earth like Gorzak tag, Yalki spitting and her favorite Ronko slamming.

Raven frowned, trying to restrain herself from toasting Robin's disappearing form. Children and her don't mix well.

**-Next week-**

Cyborg, Beastboy, Starfire and a very reluctant Raven walked down a tile hallway.

"This is strange, this ain't the same place," stated Cyborg.

Starfire glanced at the sheet with the directions for the place where they would be babysitting at. "Robin's directions are not wrong."

"Hey!" Beastboy waved his arm, "Here's room 101."

Gathering around the door, the changeling opened up the door and as one they stepped into the room. The door closed like a cell door behind them. Jaws dropping in shock, the Titans took in the mass chaos before them. Deep inside though, their subconscious selves were clawing at the door, begging for someone to free them from the room.

Children were running around playing tag. Others were hiding, playing with Play-Doo, eating each other's lunches and just plain screaming. In the mist of all the commotion, a woman stepped forward her hair falling out of its neat bun.

Wide black eyes shed tears of joy as she walked up to the Titans, "Oh, thank you. Thank you! I'm so going to need your help today. When I told Robin at Jazzercise of my situation, he said he knew of three eager volunteers…" With that said she burst into tears and collapsed onto Raven, hugging the witch tightly, "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

That was when it hit the Titans. Robin had not signed them up for Jazzercise babysitting duty. He had volunteered them for helping out at a pre-school for no money and for an entire day.

And as the scene closed around the shell-shocked Titans, a evil cackle can be heard emitting from Titan's Tower as its' lone occupier settled down on the sofa with a big box of Hawaiian pizza, a jug of Root Beer and began watching a marathon of CSI.

--

A/N: I had so much writing this one and I thought why not make the title misleading just to shake things up. Oh and for you who don't know, Jazzercise does exist. My mom works out there and I have babysat for them countless times. Let me tell ya, I don't know how teachers or moms do it. By the hour is up, I'm ready to leave just like Robin. So, an applause out to all you babsitters, teachers and parents. Take care!


	21. Robin's big suprise

Disclaimer: Don't own anyone

A/N: Yay, I'm back! I've been slowly working on a bit more drabbles, so hopefully I can update this one a bit more while I finish my other story.

**Robin's big secret**

No one was going to get that briefcase. With his last breath, Robin would fight to keep any villains from gaining possession of the black box. And if somehow Fate prevented him from winning, then the person who won and dared to try and open it would be extremely regretful for the rest of their life. Not to mention be in the excruciating pain for every bone in their body would be broken.

His identity and everything that made Robin himself was in that briefcase. If some soul saw its contents, his life would be shattered beyond repair. No more heroic Boy Wonder. It would be Poor Robbie for the rest of his life. Every villain would be laughing in his face and exploit his secret to its fullest. And that would be in Jump City. Word would spread like wildfire and soon make itself present in Gotham City.

Robin felt blood drain from his face. Batman would get wind of this. And once He heard, all hell would break lose. Robin would rather be hiding or better yet be at the end of one of Slade's beatings than face an angry Bat. Oh, he could already hear the stern raspy voice chewing him out about his recklessness and stupidity. But that would be the beginning. Once the villains of Gotham heard of Robin's big secret, they would pounce on Batman like vultures to a dead carcass.

Tightening his hold on the bars, Robin revved up his motorcycle even more. He couldn't loss this race. Zooming after the black tattered cape of Red X, Robin let the image of the dangling briefcase become his only focus. Don't lose, there's too much at stake.

Those words echoed in his mind when he killed the ignition. Tilting the motorcycle to the side, he breathed a sigh of release as he hopped off. In two steps, Robin bent down and picked up the briefcase. It was all over. Relief buzzed in his mind blocking out any comments the Titans were making as they clustered around him. Eying each of his friends, Robin felt that in a sense they deserved to see what was in the briefcase. They had fought just as hard maybe even a bit harder for an object they knew nothing about except that it was extremely important for him.

Soaking in the questioning, curious eyes Robin smiled and popped open the lid to the briefcase. Their faces peered over his shoulders, their eyes wide as saucers. Loud gasps filled the air as the precious information on their mysterious leader was revealed out in the open.

Lying in the middle of the briefcase was an old, worn-out brown teddy bear that was missing an eye and in some places had lost some fur leaving behind patches of the mesh underneath.

Raven coughed.

Cyborg smacked his lips, "Um, Robin…"

"No way," whispered Beastboy, whose jaw was pretty much opened at its full capacity.

Starfire clapped her hands, not understanding the situation of a teenage boy having a teddy bear, "He is cute! Does this bear have a name?"

A blush dashed across Robin's cheeks. Lowering his head, Robin replied weakly, "Teddy." No one in his family was creative when it came to names. Take his for example. How simple was Richard. It was like in the top five most common names right up there with John, Bill and Bob.

Beastboy began to snicker and it didn't even take a full 30 seconds before he busted out into full blown laughter and tears. Raven and Cyborg followed quickly, each falling into the others arms for support.

The only one not laughing was Starfire, who gave Robin a huge hug. "Teddy is a wonderful name, Robin! Do not be ashamed of such a name."

"Thanks Star," groaned Robin. Stretching out with a shaky arm, he slammed the lid closed. Prying himself free of the alien princess, Robin adjusted his cape and ran a hand through his hair, "Now that you know, let's go back to the Tower before anything else happens." Embarrassment fueled Robin's moves to act quickly and before the others had even registered his command, he was a mere dot in the horizon.

_-Later that night-_

Wearing a baggy white tee-shirt and a pair of boxers with the Superman logo on it—a gift Clark had given him when Bruce had initially said not to joining the Justice League—Robin climbed into the massive bed. It was a quiet night and after today's insane race, all Robin wanted to do was sleep.

Throwing the dark blue comforter over his shoulders, the leader of the Titans snuggled deep into the covers. It was 2:30 AM and he had maybe four hours before he had to get up and train. Finding his spot, Robin pulled the worn-out Teddy down to join him. He rarely took the precious animal out of the briefcase but after today's close call he needed reassurance that the teddy-bear was real. The whole embarrassing moment and constant teasing from Cyborg and Beastboy were not the real reasons…really…

At first, Robin thought after the initial burst of laughing that he would tell the Titans everything from his time in the circus to his real identity. But when the Titans arrived in the Tower a good hour later, they were still laughing. It was then that Robin realized that they would never truly understand the importance of Teddy, even if he gave them the back story.

Clutching Teddy closer to his chest, Robin breathed in the musky smell of dust, hay, dirt and popcorn. The smells of the circus filled him, making his mind fall into a blank slate of bliss. But this was not the one smell that he was searching for.

Curling deeper even more, Robin dug his face into the crook of Teddy's shoulder and neck to find the smell. And there it was in all of its glory. Teddy was not always his; he had received it on his second birthday after a huge explosion of tears. To calm down the baby, his mother had taken out her teddy bear and handed it to her weeping son. Immediately, he stopped crying and was able to fall asleep as his parents crept out of the small tent to perform their act that night.

After that, Teddy officially became his and was always handy in its esteemed position of sitting on his mother's dressing table next to her perfume. It didn't take long for the bear to not only start smelling like the circus but that of his mother. He would go with Teddy everywhere from taking trips around town to visiting the animal keepers and finally to bed. Teddy became a friend to a curious only child and took on the role of security when Robin had moved to Wayne manor. Teddy was the only one to see the pure anguish that racked the remaining Grayson.

Tears formed underneath Robin's mask but he wiped them away into the sheet. Hugging Teddy, Robin breathed in the lavender perfume of his mother to push away the nightmares. Feeling himself fall into oblivion, Robin felt his lips move on their own accord.

"Nighty…night…" muttered a small child.

A breeze ruffled the raven locks and pushed the comforter closer around the small frame. And the words of a ghost lulled Robin fully into sleep, "_Night my little bird_."

--

A/N: Sorry if this is a little one but I couldn't think of what else to go on with...and I'm off to see The Dark Knight once again and had to write this little plot bunny quickly so it could stop hassling me. Till next time, Take care!


	22. Silent Cries

A/N: Alright this drabble has been sitting in the back corner of my disk, collecting dust while I debate whether or not to post this one. The drabble was inspired by Duran Duran's new song "Falling Down", which is a pretty sad but good song. It had been late at night when I typed this guy up. This drabble is in my opinion the most depressing, angst ridden, tragic piece of work that I have written. If you want, go ahead and skip this one. That's fine by me.

To set up the story, this takes place right at the end of the Apprentice arc when the Titans flee Slade's crumbling hide out but before the lobby's scene where all is forgiven. Robin might appear all fine and dandy but appearances can be deceiving. No?

**Silent Cries**

In the dark, cold room a figure sits shivering in the corner behind locked doors. A dying ember sparked from the comm unit around the metal blade, preventing unwanted others from hacking and opening the door. A shattered lamp lies forgotten near the edge of his desk, the sharp pieces of glass spread out for all to walk upon. The laptop was smashed, hanging over the chair like a dead animal, its' wire guts hanging out for the world to see. The remains of what appeared to be a phone was in no better shape. Curtains drawn tight, to the point that even the pale moonlight couldn't even snake through were the finishing touches to the self-imposed prison. Paper was scattered across the floor like confetti, yet the images of a single-eyed villain still sprang forth from the tiny pieces.

In the middle was a heaving, crouched figure whose stuttering gasps for air merely hinted at the immense hellish pain underneath flesh and bone.

Clawing backwards towards the wall, Robin willed himself to a fetal position, his arms pulling his head deep into the warm cave near his chest. Tears ran down like waterfalls with nothing obstructing their passage. The white mask had long ago fallen off from the first flood. Images of metal fists flying towards him, booted feet smashing, hands breaking, neck gripped backwards in a painful twist. Phantom pains danced throughout his spasmodic body. His master—

An animalistic scream escaped his lips, the inconceivable noise bouncing off the soundproof walls. His body flung towards the wall, his tiny fists slamming themselves hard into the wall, while hitting his head on the wall as if trying to knock away the poisonous thought.

"Sl-Slade. N-not. Ma-master." The weak, pain-filled voiced only poured more water out of his eyes.

He was supposed to be the poster boy, the ideal superhero: Batman's sidekick. Growing up in Gotham, his illusion of safety was gone in a matter of seconds with his parents' death, he knew he was not immortal. But here in Jump City, something had changed that. The feeling of friends, of taking down the bad guys by himself had rebuilt the illusion that he was untouchable. Even as his master—Slade drilled into his head a different story, he had hoped to remain unscathed.

Then Slade drove a poison knife into his heart.

Pleasure. Fleeting, but dark pleasure was burning its' way throughout his body. Learning new moves helped him become deadly, become faster in incapacitating a villain. The more Slade taught him through their all-out fights, the more Robin learned than he could even begin to imagine. In the dark, cramped storage room, big enough to fit a small floor mat and sheet that served as his room till he behaved, Robin began to eagerly await the fights. Amongst the pain Slade inflicted, pleasure arose when Robin was able to perfectly execute a move, causing damage upon his opponent. Slade didn't have to say a word for Robin to sense the man's dark, infectious glee and pride. It wasn't long till the first night when Slade sent Robin to steal…

"No, no, no. I'm a hero. Please no. Please…help me." Robin slide into a boneless heap, exhaustion claiming over him. As dark, tear blue eyes slide into a dreamless sleep, Robin lay curled against the corner, his apprentice uniform catching the faint stream of moonlight, as if trying to grasp upon the small snowflakes of hope.

Two days passed before Robin left his room. Displaying his best smile, he acted so well the part of the apologizing leader that even Batman would not see a single flaw. Raven thought she sensed a faint crying out for help, but it was just a small tease, like that of a sprinkle of rain when there's not a cloud in sight. Seeing Robin's flashing grin, the empath sighed with relief that Robin was back to normal. Maybe now the nightmares that she had for the past two days would go away.

--

"You guys go ahead. I'll catch up." Robin waved good-bye to the Titans. As they took off to head back to the Tower to order pizza, Robin bolted down the dark street before the cops could arrive. They had taken out the Hive-Five once more, who were in the process of robbing a jewelry store. Gray skies loomed above him, a streak of lighting with a hollow clap of thunder signaled the immediate down pour of rain. Sliding, Robin grabbed onto the corner of a wall and pulled himself into a deserated ally, never once breaking his stride. Once he was deep within the ally, beyond any reaching fingers of the piercing golden street light, he crouched behind a dumpster. Gazing up and down, left and right, he pulled out the small, 25 karat sapphire diamond. Staring deeply into the gem, he found the multiple facets mirroring the shattering soul inside. The poison that chilled his bones moments ago subsided leaving the warm pleasure-filled burns on the white matter. It wasn't the first he stole something after capturing a villain.

The first time it had been a simple urge. One minute his hand was empty; the next it held a rare gold ring from Mesopotamia. More importantly, no one saw him smuggling the ring out. Weeks after the press and police went wild to find the artifact, the ring appeared on the doorstep at the chief conservator's house. Afterwards, Robin couldn't stop. The exhilarated, twisted pleasure grew into an addiction. And even after the steals, Robin kept telling himself that it was just a healing process. More so, he continued to push the denial of what happened during his apprenticeship deeper into his soul, keeping the poison content so it would not hurt him or his friends.

However, stealing sometimes would not be enough. And thus, on those insomniac nights, Robin would sneak into the gym and train himself until he perfected a move Slade had taught him or never finished teaching him before their time together was cut short.

Laughter passed by and Robin peered over the edge like a sacred cat. Disgrace at his appearance, at his attitude, at his action drove the poison knife deeper as masked eyes took in the action behind him. Clueless pedestrians walked by, happy in their ignorant world. Residents in the apartments above blasted their TVs and radios. Yet, none heard the soft, repetitive murmuring of "help me…please" from the pale, thin lips and the trickling stream of tears.

--

Months passed and Robin continued his act. Forced smiles, commanding orders, reckless behavior and holding back in fights was starting to become harder and harder to hide. The stealing continued and began to escalate as he dared to dress in a simple black, classic crook outfit to do his night raids. Having perfected Slade's techniques, he began to build upon them, making them his own. Images of Slade's pride-filled eye overtook his dreams while purring praise tickled his ear. Lying in his corner, the bed no longer bringing comfort, Robin could feel the poison rotting away his core. The cold breeze of the air conditioner tickled the back of his hair.

Squeezing his eyes, he let himself holler in frustration that he wanted the air to be someone's presence. He needed someone's—anyone's—comfort, their whispered words of support in this tortured existence. Grateful for the soundproof walls, he continued to scream until his voice was raw and croaking. Few slivers of tears snaking down his cheeks. Fear gripped his chest at what he was becoming. The urge to bolt out and confess to the Titans was overpowering, but not as powerful as the addicting pleasure that was killing him. Damn his pride and damn his weak will. Curling his body into a fetal position once more, the screams returned and echoed off the walls.

"Please. Help. Me."

--

He knew one day it would happen. His thin exterior shattered in the blast of revelation. The Titans were not that dense and it did not take them long to match his presence and that of his alter ego together. The moment had come when Lady Luck had left him hanging high and dry in the middle of a battered-street. In the mist of all the Titans, his crimes were exposed to the world in form of a Iron Age Celtic dagger, whose worth was in the millions and had been missing for three days, tucked in his belt.

The defeated Brotherhood of Evil members began to snicker and laugh at him as they were pushed into the Swat trucks. The twist in the fight had made their capture worth it. But the Titans, they were not laughing. They looked with new eyes upon the degraded, sickly looking leader.

Gone was any recognition of grace, of honor, of anything that resembled the old Robin. The flood of tears no longer ran down his face. The poison of one man's actions had polluted the well. Shivering, Robin felt his arms begin to hug himself in an all too familiar position. Curling in on his knees, the shakes raked Robin's body. Being exposed hurt like no other pain he had endured, even Hell seemed like a campfire compared to this. They all stood around him, but once again silent pleas fell upon death ears. Masked eyes darted upwards to the one person he thought could catch him. She was the one he could always count on to be his safety net.

Mouthing his three-word mantra, Robin sped up his tone, "pleasehelpme. Pleasehelp me. Please help me!" Screaming at the end, Robin groaned in pain and clutched at the dagger. Shock and fear forced tears to well up in Starfire's eyes. But Robin mistook those crying eyes for disgust and disappointment at how far he had fallen. He had hurt her in the worse possible way by breaking her heart. It had all started out to protect her and his friends but even now that had backfired driving the poison knife of pleasure to the hilt within his heart.

Despair stiffened his body. Only one thought drove through his shattered mind: the poison was now free and would spread outwards to infect his friends now that it was free from its' bodily prison. A remaining ounce of purity vanished in flash before sinking into the murky waters of corruption. In the afterquake, Robin's limbs found the energy to throw the Celtic dagger off of his figure, turn and sprint down the street. The roaring wind of guilt drowned out any of the shouts that were emitting from the Titans for him to stop.

Robin ran away from the criminals. He ran away from the Titans. He ran away from the city he swore to protect. He ran away from his life as a hero. Stumbling up a rocky slope deep in the dark forest, Robin chocked back the gasps of pain that racked his body and burnt soul. He tried to protect them from himself and failed. Failed like the pathetic, druggie of a hero he had become. Feeling oblivion spreading into his vision from the lack of oxygen, Robin slipped and felt himself falling downwards. Ever falling, amidst the sea of people he failed, Robin cried out for help, for someone to catch before hitting the ground and shattering into the million pieces of glass: to become the light bulb on the dark carpet.

Air rushed into his lungs and for a second, he thought that it was over. Oh, he hoped it was over. That this nightmare that had become his life was extinguished. That finally, his addiction was sadiated. But the rapid thudding of his heart told him otherwise. No, the nightmare was not over. Tired of fighting, Robin told himself that whatever was on the other side he would pledge himself to the darkness. No more fighting or telling lies. No more.

Daring to peek underneath the curtains of his soul, Robin embraced the impassive gray eye of the only person who heard his call.

--

A/N: I hope this one didn't scare off anyone. Don't worry folks, the next one is going to be nice and happy. Well, take care!


	23. A Kid's game

Disclaimer: If only if I was a genius like those guys over in DC and the writers for Teen Titans and Justice League.

A/N: I promised a happy story and here it is. As a heads up, if you haven't watched and Justice League Unlimited episodes, do so! This little chappie will crossover with JLU episode entitled 'Kid's stuff'.

**A Kid's game**

Cyborg raised his hands slowly in the air, trying to take one more step back towards the safety of the couch. But he could go no further. Behind him, Starfire, Beastboy and Raven were peering over his shoulders scared of which way this new predicament would go.

The safety of lobby in Titans Tower seemed questionable in terms of the new intruders. A louder snort made the teenagers shiver in fright. Despite it being a beautiful afternoon, the day had just taken a sharp left turn towards the Twilight Zone.

Cyborg wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead and gulped, "Hey…um…"

In front of them, Robin raised his own hand signaling Cyborg to stop talking. With the other, Robin tried to hide the twitching grin and giggles from spilling out of him into full-blown laughter. The Titans shivered once more at this stranger. Robin did not giggle.

The uneasiness was not lost only upon the Titans. Across from the Titans, stood a very recognizable, legendary foursome whose grace and heroism were not lost on the young superheroes. Off to the left a tall boy with a single black curl dangling across his forehead, yet it was the bellowing red cape and the emblazed S on his chest that made the Titans gap with their mouths wide open. Next to him, a girl with long black hair and piercing blue eyes smiled but it did little to outshine the golden tiara and the rope that dangled off her waist to stop the Titans from trying to look decent. After her, a seething dark figure clad in black was narrowing his masked white eyes straight at Robin making the Titans shiver in fright for the pointed ears made him look like a devil. And finally, the last of the foursome was a young African-American whose green and black suit complimented the joking green eyes, which were covered by glasses whose lenses' were pointed at each end causing the Titans to blink in its awesomeness.

"Shut up!" growled the boy clad in black, but his young voice made the command strain and took on a more whining tone.

Robin couldn't hold it in anymore. Throwing his head back, Robin fell onto his back, clutching his aching ribs as laughter poured out of him.

"Robin!" The eight-year old boy clenched his fists and was about to smack the Titan's leader when the girl placed one hand on her hip and pointed directly at the crying leader.

Face stern, eyes narrowed slightly, the girl yelled at Robin in an authoritative voice that surprised the Titans. "This is not funny, Robin. So stop it right now."

Immediately, Robin stopped laughing and nodded solemnly. "Yes ma'am," he muttered before hiccupping.

The boy with the green eyes chuckled and nudged his neighbor in the ribs, "Guess you ain't that scary anymore, Batman."

The glare that the dark hero sent his friend made the youngster want to shrink down to the size of a mouse.

"Ah ahem," coughed the girl, "Now that we've got your attention, I think it's only fair to tell you want happened to us."

The Titans nodded numbly, still in utter shock.

The girl smiled, "Good. So for starters, we were fighting this villain named Mordred who with his magic removed all adults in one section of the earth. To battle him, his mother Morgaine Le Feye turned Superman, Batman, Green Lantern and myself, Wonder Woman, into eight year olds. To make a long story short, we defeated Mordred and returned the world to normal. However, Morgaine Le Feye vanished before she could turn us back into adults."

Pausing, Wonder Woman eyed each Titan yet all she saw was shock. Sighing, she was about to continue on when Robin cut her off.

"Let me guess, you guys need a place to stay?" grinned Robin, who had remained sitting on the floor.

Wonder Woman eyed the Boy Wonder and realized that he was enjoying their predicament with uttermost glee. "Yes but-"

Batman muttered quickly under his breath the rest of the sentence. Robin's face immediately perked up like a dog that had just smelled a delicious dinner. Leaning forward, Robin tilted his head and cupped his ear, "What was that Batman, I couldn't hear?"

Batman muttered the same words slightly louder, his fists shaking angrily at his side. The World's Greatest Detective hated asking for help and his ex-sidekick knew that. Robin shook his head, "Nope, try again."

With lightening fast reflexes, Batman yanked Robin by the cuff of his cape bringing him face to face with him. For a split second, Batman realized that with Robin standing, his protégé was about half an inch higher and irked the man even more. Clenching his teeth, Batman let his anger roll off of him, "We need Raven's powers to undo this."

Robin blinked. He was used to Batman giving him The Voice and had the second fastest recovery time, right below Alfred. Yet, he was surprised that the feeling of pure terror still worked even when Batman was an eight-year old. "K."

Batman continued to stare at Robin for a couple more minutes before finally releasing his ward. Feeling the tension slowly dissipate, Wonder Woman sighed and rolled her eyes. Just like Bruce to take it one too many steps over board. "That's about it."

Silence filled the air and each of the heroes could hear the ticking of seconds go by. It was about 30 seconds later when Starfire erupted to life zooming up to Wonder Woman and locking her into a tight hold. "Most Glorious news!" Holding out the Amazon warrior, green eyes sparkled like jewels, "We can become friends while friend Raven finds a way to help you out!"

"Y-yes," stuttered Wonder Woman amazed at the sheer strength of this girl.

"Oh, we can do many a wonderful things together like the shopping in the mall and the painting of nails. There are so many things. It will be great to have another girl in the Tower!"

Turning around, Starfire grabbed an exasperated Raven and dragged behind her a cringing Wonder Woman. "Come, we will show you to your new room! And you must meet Silkie."

"Si-Silkie?" stuttered Wonder Woman.

"Don't ask," replied a monotonous Raven.

Starfire beamed another smile, "He is just the cutest pet out there. I have raised him since he was a baby!"

Starfire continued to ramble on about the abnormally large worm till her voice became a mere whisper in the background. The lobby was now filled with only the boys. Batman and Robin were glaring daggers at each other. Superman was gazing around the room while Cyborg began to rock back and forth on his heels whistling.

Beastboy licked his lips and stared hard at Green Lantern.

The black boy fidgeted, "What?"

"Can you make a lightsaber with that ring of yours?" whispered the changeling.

"Duh," stated Lantern. And with a twitch of his wrist a lightsaber was grasped in his hand. "And of course its Mace Windu's cause he's the coolest Jedi ever."

"Is not!" shouted Beastboy, "It's so Obi-Wan!"

"Whatever." Not wanting to get into a fight, Lantern quickly asked a question he always wanted to know about when he heard about the shape shifter's abilities, "Can you change into a dragon?"

Beastboy waved his arms widely in the air, "Dude, what kind of question is that!" The next second, a large Chinese dragon was standing in the lobby.

Green Lantern's eyes widen with glee, "Sweet!"

Beastboy changed back swiftly, "I know. Now you show me something!"

"Right!" Lantern right away brought forth a green samurai sword.

Beastboy's jaw dropped to the floor, "Oh man!" Yanking on Robin's cape, he brought the leader flying towards him gagging him in the process. "It's the sword of Kiska in the greatest movie of all time-"

"WAY OF THE NINJA PART 3" yelled Beastboy and Green Lantern together.

Robin pried his cape free from Beastboy's claws, rolling eyes, "Great."

The two green heroes immediately were talking over a 100 mph about the movie and more. Meanwhile, Cyborg glanced over at Superman and decided that maybe he should start a conversation with his all time favorite hero. A smile dashed across his dark features as he saw Superman's questioning glance. It was funny to see the leader of the Justice League the shy kid in the foursome.

"So…have you ever played on a Wii before?"

"No."

"Playstation?"

"No."

"Any video games at all?"

Superman shook his head and blinked his as hair and cape went flying backwards in the wind of Cyborg's yell. "WHAT?!"

Grabbing Superman, Cyborg rushed over to the couch and set up the gaming console, popping in the race car game. "I can't believe this! We have to fix this up right away!"

"Dude!" shouted Beastboy, "Are you playing Red Light?"

"Yeah so," snapped back Cyborg, "You're too slow!"

"Oh hell no!" Jumping on the couch, Beastboy yanked Superman's controller out of his hands, "You are not going to beat me!"

Cyborg fixed his eyes on the youngest hero, "Superman was playing with me!"

"He can have his turn!"

"Well what about Green Lantern?!"

"Guys!"

Robin's stern shout silenced the two Titans. Pointing at the bin of gaming equipment, Robin gave each of them a commanding glance, "There are two more controllers in there and the game's set up for six players."

Cyborg and Beastboy stared at Robin before blinking at each other.

"I call Green Lantern!" yelped Beastboy as he bolted forward, grabbing and throwing a controller into Green Lantern's hands.

"Superman's on my team!" Cyborg followed suit and left a confused Superman staring at the white object with buttons and tiny joysticks in his hands.

Green Lantern punched some buttons and grinned when the black car on the screen fired off plasma beams, "Sweet!" Bending down, he hunched next to Beastboy. Realizing that the blue car still yet to move, he rammed into it pushing it off a cliff before driving off, "Eat my dust, Supes!"

Shock fell onto Superman's face before a determined look befell his young features. Joining Cyborg, he pushed the buttons and laughed to his car fire off rockets flying back onto the track. "You're so gonna pay Lantern!"

The boys getting sucked into the game, Robin sighed with relief to see them no longer bickering. With the extra rooms and the tension gone, everything was resolved. Well everything. Turning slowly, he eyed the sulking Batman.

"Um…"

"So this is where my money goes?"

Scratching his head, Robin ran by Batman, "Well, not all of it. Wait till you see the gym and training course!"

Batman trailed behind his ward, not wanting to stick in the lobby with the geeks or find the girls who would be talking about girl stuff. "Like I don't know."

Robin's shoulders sagged and he puffed out a sigh. If a grown Batman was hard to get along with, it seemed an eight-year old would be worse.

"Seems like you have robot boy and pointy ears under control, good," commented Batman as he opened up the fridge searching for something to eat.

Robin stared at his mentor as if he had grown an extra head. Was that arrogance and taunting he heard? Sure Batman did taunt his enemies but giving them childish nicknames… On occasions or glimpses Robin would see this smug playfulness more in Bruce then in Batman.

"_Was this how Bruce was before The Incident_," thought Robin.

"Earth to Robin," Batman waved a hand in front of Robin's face.

Robin snapped his head back, "Uh, sorry about." He looked a bit downwards as Batman bit into the peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

"Alfred would shot you if he saw what you had in that fridge," munched Batman.

"Well most of its Star's own concoctions. But mostly we eat pizza."

"I know."

Walking past Robin, Batman made his way into the hall, "Let's go find Raven so we can get things back to normal."

Robin laughed as he ran after Batman, falling into step next to him. "I don't know, I kinda like this." Puffing out his chest and straightening his back, Robin grinned down at his mentor.

Not breaking stride, glancing once up at Robin or halting in his eating, Batman scoffed, "Whatever,"

Deflating, Robin fell behind a few steps, his feet dragging behind him. Turning slightly, he pretended to be his old mentor. "So you've grown congratulations." Flipping over, Robin shrugged his shoulder, "What can I say, there must be something in the pizza."

"Well it seems I was wrong in thinking junk foods is bad for you."

"You wrong? That can't be!"

"Yes and if I'm wrong about that, then maybe I was wrong about you not being able to lead this team or being a hero."

Robin gasped and fell against the wall, "What? Really? You mean-"

"ROBIN!" Batman's pitched yell froze Robin in his little acting out mode.

Gazing down the hall, he spotted the Dark Knight shaking his head and stepping into a room. Embarrassment flooded in his red cheeks as he bowed his head and glanced around to make sure no one else saw him. Crap. He hadn't done that whole one-side pretend conversation in years. Who could blame him really? If one wanted a conversation, count Batman out of it.

Robin's head jerked upwards. Wait, Batman went into a room: his room. Zooming down the hallway, he skidded into the room just as Batman was making his way towards the desk. In a green flash, he pulled away the picture of him and Starfire at the beach and threw into the trashcan behind the newspapers. He had yet to tell Batman about his girlfriend.

"Don't you ever knock?" Right when the words left his mouth, Robin wanted to smack himself of the stupid question, "Who am I asking?"

Batman raised an eye towards his ward. Turning on the laptop, he punched in the code to the Batcave, "I need to inform Alfred of the situation so he can make excuses for Bruce Wayne's disappearance as well as keep an eye out on Gotham and relay the message to Batgirl."

Robin leaned against the wall, folding his arms, "You think reversing the spell will take that long?"

"You know Raven the best, how fast does she work cause from what I've seen, not that fast," replied Batman.

Gritting his teeth, the Boy Wonder fought to remind himself that he was the leader of the Titans and not a sidekick anymore. "She's a fast worker and probably is working on it right now."

"But the alien princess-"

"Raven knows how to escape from any of Star's activities. Just give her about a week to do the research and experiment."

Batman gazed down onto the keyboard contemplating his ward's words. "Alright a week."

Robin grinned, feeling a sense of happiness to know that Batman had actually agreed with him on something. "I'll go tell her-" A red siren and loud blaring went off, cutting the hero's statements.

Without pause, Robin bolted down the hallway and returned back to the lobby where a few seconds later the girls and Batman joined him and the rest of the group. Cyborg was already typing fast on the keyboard, eyes scanning the map.

"What we got, Cy?" asked Robin.

Cyborg shot Robin a pitying look, "You don't want to know."

Fists clenching, only one name came to mind. "Titans go!"

Shooting a 'Better-stay-out-of-this' glance at Batman, Robin left the four Justice League members blinking in confusion.

"Why can't we have a cool charging line like that?" complained Lantern.

--

A/N: I'm planning to write more but this one was getting a bit too long for my tastes. But don't worry I'll continue the story in other chapters. Take care!


	24. Sick

Disclaimer: Maybe when we get a new President, I can persue him to give me the rights to these characters...wishful thinking.

A/N: Yay, I'm back. Well here's one that pretty short and explanatory and yes I've returned once more to the whole Robin and Slade theme. It's so addicting and it doesn't help that my roomates are becoming fans slowly as well. So set up this guy, the whole what if Slade didn't activate the probes during Apprentice part 2 idea.

**Sick **

She floated before him, her green eyes wavering with determination and hope. Powering down her green blast, those soul-piercing orbs pulled at him. Starfire left herself open for attack; her hands open to whatever fate had in store for her.

Robin felt himself pause, not sure what to do. He knew that if he didn't follow Slade's orders, his friends would die. And if he did, a swell of guilt made his chest constrict. His extended arm started to shake. He couldn't fire. Not on her, not on such an innocent person.

"Robin, I thought I gave you an order," purred Slade's voice into his ear. Yet, underneath the order, he felt the rising heat of rage.

The pure fire that radiated from Slade's voice scared him. He never heard such vehemence from the cold-hearted man. It was out-of-character. And it shook Robin to the core. So much that his already shaking finger pulled the trigger sending a red blast into Starfire's unguarded chest.

Green eyes widened with shock and disappointment before rolling into the back of her head. Her chest smoked slightly, but from what he could see as her body fell from the sky was that it did not pierce skin. She was alive. Hope swelled briefly in him before drowning in a sea of guilt. Lowering his arm, he heard Beastboy scream and dodge forward, catching the unconsciousness alien in his arms.

"That's my boy." Slade whispered, "Now finish the fight, Robin."

The Titans were yelling at him, accusing glares being shot up at him like arrows. Gazing down, his shocked heart and numb mind felt something being to stir within him. They didn't understand. He had just saved their lives and all they could do was yell at him. Shifting his focus on Star's limp body in Beastboy's arms, Robin felt his fists begin to curl. Slade had made him hurt her, made him break her generous heart. A blue blast hit the white letter beneath his feet. Before his mind could stop himself, Robin leapt into action, shooting a red beam between the three remaining Titans.

--

Slade rewinded and watched Robin fight the Titans on the roof of Wayne Enterprises. Robin danced between Cyborg, Raven and Beastboy. He threw the changeling hard into Raven and almost broke Cyborg's neck when he palmed the boy under his chin. The viciousness of Robin's fight both shocked and pleased Slade. The boy was progressing faster than he expected. But the fight was not the highlight of the evening.

Rewinding more, he watched and paused the screen right when Robin's red laser beam struck Starfire. The pain and shock on the princess' face made the villain smirk behind his mask. Not to his surprise, he heard something falling behind him, a heaving sound echoed in the room as the meager remains of a meal splashed onto the ground.

"You are going to clean that up, Robin." Rising from his throne, Slade turned and regarded the shaking form of Robin.

The boy was kneeling on the ground, his eyes transfixed on the remains of his small breakfast. Steel boots clicked up until Slade was standing before the fallen hero. "You will look at me, when I'm talking to you."

Robin's small head gazed upwards, locking on the screen behind Slade. The villain smirked as pain-filled eyes narrowed. "I must congratulate you Robin. Only a true villain could ever attack someone so innocent as that alien. I didn't even have toa active the probes. You surprised me and only cemented your place as my apprentice."

The words trickled into Robin's mind. Only after a few minutes in silence did he register their meaning. Numbness morphed into rage. Screaming, Robin lunged at Slade hands reaching out for the man's neck. Slade slide back and grabbed the boy's wrists, leaning back as Robin screamed and continued to claw at the man, eager to wring his life out with bare hands.

The mastermind frowned and slammed his knee into the boy's stomach. Robin gasped, slumping forward little coughs escaping his mouth. Stepping back, he let the boy collapse on the floor.

"I will overlook this small act of disobedience, Robin. But the next time, I will kill them." Tipping his hand, he allowed enough of the trigger to reveal itself into Robin's gaze.

The masked eyes widened before then lowered in submission. Hatred still flared its' raging head off the boy's frame but the chains of fear kept the creature at bay. Feeling a wave of satisfaction at having the Boy Wonder kneeling at his feet and wearing his colors was too much. Gloating, the supervillain clasped his hands behind his back. "But there is a way for you to completely satisfy me, Apprentice, to make up for all your mistakes. From now on, I would like you to call me master."

With those words, Slade returned to his throne, picking up a tiny screen. He had to make preparations for Robin's next mission. Things were going a bit ahead of schedule, but that was fine for him. The soft scraping of metal against the floor marked Robin's quiet movement.

"You are not allowed to leave this room."

"Yes master." The faint whisper of the reply ignited the small formation of a smirk behind the mask.

Robin stood silently behind the throne waiting for the order that he could return to his room. Sighing, the Boy Wonder gazed down at the mess and decided that he should clean it up. He was bored and the last thing he wanted to do was ponder over his actions from just an hour ago. Whenever he blinked, he still saw Star's falling form forcing his stomach to clench and his throat to constrict. Stepping the right, he walked a bit before halting and gazing behind him. Slade hadn't said anything, engrossed in whatever he was reading. Sighing in relief, Robin began to explore the vast chamber for a mop and bucket. The gears turning overhead were the only sound. Looking into every nick and cranny, Robin scoffed in frustration.

Where the hell was the mop? Kicking at the floor, Robin was about to give up and trudge back to the throne when out of the corner of his eye was a strange round machine. Walking towards it, he noticed a red light blinking. The image of the chrono-ton detonator flashed in his mind.

Reaching it, Robin took in the machine and grinned. He found what was holding his friends hostage. But why would Slade keep it out here in the open? The puzzle confused Robin, yet the boy was not about to let this opportunity pass through his fingers. If he could destroy it, then this crazy blackmail was as good as gone and he could apologize to Starfire. Smirking, he reached out and touched the control panel. Fingering it open, he peered inside and chewed the inside of his cheek. Reaching out, he pulled the blue wire and waited for the red light to go out. Instead, electricity sparked from the machine, which then shuddered and collapsed into a heap of metal.

Yelping quietly, Robin leapt back. Fear froze his mind and body. He just did it. He killed his friends.

"Apprentice."

Robin screamed and jumped into the air. Turning around, he gazed fearfully up at Slade. Slade glared down at the boy, shifting his eye to take in the ruins of the machine behind him. "Why Robin, if you wanted to kill your friends you could have just asked?"

The sick wave of guilt burned into an angry rush throughout his body. "Shut up!" Lunging forward, he tried to punch at Slade. If it wasn't for this man, his friends would still be alive! He hated this man with his entire being. Slade knocked the punch away and punched Robin hard into the stomach. Hanging limply over the man's fist, Robin groaned in pain. Placing his hand on Slade's arm, he pushed himself off of Slade's fist. He would die right along with his friends then stay as this man's apprentice.

Slade must have sensed his death wish. "Maybe it is a good thing, the Titans are still alive. As much as I dislike a disobedient apprentice, a suicidal one is more troublesome."

The look Robin sent Slade was as if the man had grown an extra head. "You-They're not dead?"

"Did you truly think I was that stupid to leave such a valuable machine out in the open."

"No," whispered Robin.

"Precisely. The mop and bucket are over there." Robin followed Slade's arm and saw the two objects in question. "Clean up and afterwards we will train and discuss your punishment for this action."

"..."

"Robin."

"Yes, master." With that said, Robin disappeared into the darkness, shoulders hunched in defeat, all hope for rescue gone, a pile of rubble on the floor.

--

A/N: Well, that's it for this one. I got a couple in the shop that I'm working on. But if any of you guys have requests or ideas let me know! Audios!


	25. Victims

Disclaimer: I think if DC found out what I did to these guys, they would be proud considering what they're doing right now with Batman and the others in the comics. But they haven't, so they still own them as does Cartoon Network.

A/N:Ok, heads up in that I was inspired by my Criminology class into writing this one. And it doesn't help that I recently watched Hannibal Rising. He's hot but dang I'm sorry his creepyness and disturbing nature freaked me. So, this one might be close to an M rating in that it deals with a dark topic and mucho angsty. But you might be use to it if say you watch Law and Order or CSI. And since it's Halloween time...

**Victims**

The white washed tiled room made the dimming light of the single light bulb all that more powerful. In the middle, two metal chairs flanked a long scuffed brown metal table, each holding an occupant. On the table, pictures were scattered across, the images glazed over by the angle of light.

Robin shifted so he could fold his hands on the table. His colorful uniform was hidden beneath the black cape. He was grateful. In this situation, he needed every moment to be doused in the bleakness of life. Flickering his gaze, Robin soaked in the pictures once more. The moment the Titans entered this case; he knew they wouldn't be able to handle it. But his friends proved him wrong, fighting back the sickness as they ploughed through each crime scene catching the criminal just as he was about to finish off his next victim. The victim died twenty minutes later.

And that's where it stopped. The Titans went home to wash off the filth they had felt. He could see it in their eyes that they needed some time alone. They couldn't handle this part of the investigation. Not right now with their minds still wrapping over the concept that someone could do such things to people. Robin squeezed his hands together to suppress his anger. Batman wouldn't want him to lose control. It wouldn't make this type of criminal talk.

Reaching out, Robin turned one of the pictures with his fingers to make it face the killer. The man didn't fit any of the criminological theories in defining a criminal. The physiognomy didn't scream evil. There was no facial scarring or defects. The young 30-year-old male had hazel eyes and shaggy short chocolate hair. The semi build hinted at a partial active lifestyle. The tanned face and rough hands spoke volumes of the outside construction job he held. But there were no long fingers, short stocky build like the Penguin. There were no facial ticks or scars like the Joker and Two-Face. Nope the man was completely normal on the outside.

Even the record held no warning signs: an abusive childhood, a family criminal history, a traumatic event, low blood sugar, a strange map of his brain, malnutrition, depression or a poor school record. Anything that would make society or him feel different did not exist. On paper, Kevin Roller was a normal, middle class hard workingman. But the pictures spoke a different story.

In the corner of his eyes, Robin could make out the blood splatter on the walls, dripping into the pool on the floor. And on the edge, he could barely make out the small rises of fingers in the red lake. Blinking, Robin fought to keep his face neutral. There had to be something wrong with this man and since it wasn't anything biological, then it must be mental.

Kevin blinked his eyes, a dead look on his face. His hazel eyes fixed on Robin's face.

"Want anything to drink?" began Robin, trying to make the man feel a bit comfortable before he shot forward into the hard questions.

"No thank you," responded a flat voice, even his voice was at an average semi-deep tone.

Robin quirked an eye, "Are you sure? Cause I can so go for a Red Bull right now." Which was true, for Robin had already had a feeling that this was going to be a very long night.

Kevin smiled politely, "Yes, I am sure. Thank you for asking though."

Biting the inside of his cheek, Robin forced a smile back. Dang, the guy was soft spoken and polite. "Sheesh, your girlfriend is one lucky gal to have a guy with manners. Most girls complain that their BF's are pigs."

"I wouldn't know anything about that," whispered Kevin.

"No girlfriend?" Robin feigned his shock.

Kevin nodded a yes, "Busy guy and haven't really meet the right one yet."

Robin smirked, "I can relate to that." So, the guy didn't have a girlfriend. That could explain why most of his victims were female. And the feeling of rejection could have placed him in an undiagnosed depression forcing him to want to exact his pain of his victims.

"But you've been busy."

Kevin frowned slightly, his brow creasing, "Huh?"

Robin tilted his head to the pictures, "I mean you must have known those girls right. Went on one data, asked for another, she said no and then you murdered her."

A soft laugh escaped the man's lips, "You kids have quite the imagination. I never knew those girls, not even their names. As for my dating life, haven't had one since high school and before you even ask, no I'm not gay."

Robin nodded, folding his arms across his chest before tilting back a bit. Ok, then. From what he learned, most murderers knew their victims or meet them at least once. But from Kevin's statement, it seemed the man just picked them off the street and killed them right then and there. It was more a tactic of a thief. Shaking his head, Robin decided to kick it up a notch.

"Alright then, so how did you pick them? Got a thing against women?"

"No. I have no issues with the female race. They merely were," tilting his head to the side, Kevin shifted his arms behind his back easing the handcuffs off his wrists a little, "more easy to deal with then men."

"Really?"

"They might bite, scratch and scream more but they are smaller than men, whom usually fight back and curse such obscene words that would make ones' ears bleed," informed the serial killer.

Robin eased forward, his eyes narrowing, "You sure do know a lot about this."

Kevin smiled warmly and let out a chuckle, "Of course. It is an interest of mine to study the difference between men and women." Hazel eyes fell onto the pictures, brightening up with pride.

"They're not the only ones are they?" whispered Robin.

"Of course not. In order to have a more scientific theory, I needed more than six people."

"How many?"

Kevin's smile deepened as he heard the growl behind the words, "I've lost count." He watched as the younger man's jaw locked into place, hands quivering in place and the masked eyes falling into slits. "Thirteen I believe was my last count. But that does not involve non-humans creatures."

Torturing animals, bingo. Finally there was a trait of a serial killer. But that did little to ease Robin's bubbling rage. This man, this disgusting sociopath had killed thirteen people. Thirteen! And they could only link him to six of those and that was only because they had caught him in the act and his confession. If they hadn't, there would be no evidence what so ever, despite the confession.

"Let me guess," hissed Robin, "Your dog died and to ease your pain, you killed your sister's cat so she could feel your pain. And from then on out, you couldn't help but feel more alive and continued torturing and killing other animals before it transpired to people."

"No," shaking his head, Kevin sighed as a teacher might to a student, "I never had a dog. My parents were always on the move and we couldn't afford a pet. My sister has a cat now but her first one died of old age. And to tell the truth, I did not feel alive when I killed those animals or people."

Robin swallowed feeling his hope being shot down. Anger at how indifferent this man was made him feel helpless. But there was another emotion boiling even deeper. Fear. Why the Titans didn't want to come was because they didn't want to know the reasoning behind the crimes. And as his job as leader, the police thought it best to send in a professional. Robin began to fear the motive and rational. "What did you feel?"

Kevin leaned forward, his bright orange uniform splashing against the brown table. Licking his lips, his breath passed like a ghost over his dead victims forever immortalized on print. "Guess."

Robin scowled as he leaned forward, placing his hands on either side of him. Till he was a few inches away to the point where he could feel Kevin's breath, Robin stared deep into those eyes that glimmered with curiosity. The leveled voice coming out of his mouth surprised Robin. "Why don't you tell me?"

An almost exact voice responded across the table, "Are we really going to play this game?"

"If we have too, yes."

"What a shame."

"Are you chicken?"

"No, I am a homo-sapien."

"Well a human wouldn't be afraid to tell me what he felt."

"Actually, it is a known fact that men tend to hide their emotions. Being of the same sex, you agree wouldn't you about not telling others how you felt."

An urge to punch the man almost overrode all of the hero's logic. He was about to snap back when Kevin whispered, "Tell me what you felt when you burst into the basement as I was about to put the young woman asleep."

Robin growled, glad that he could vent some emotion. "I felt disgusted."

"Oh?"

"You treated those people like objects, recorded every single bit of information and bleed them dry before throwing them out like garbage after they served their purpose. You made fathers and mothers worry for months only returning their lost son or daughter in pieces."

"Well they couldn't fit in the garbage can if they remained whole."

That did it. Robin snapped and slammed Kevin's head straight onto the table. With his left hand pressing the man down, he grabbed a random picture and held it right up into Kevin's face.

"How did you feel when that innocent girl screamed for you to stop?" Dropping the picture, Robin reached out and grabbed another picture, "Or how about when this man begged you to let him go? Huh? Did you feel any remorse or was it just some sick glee you got. Were their deaths good enough for your experiments?" By this time, Robin was yelling and boy did it feel good. To belittle this criminal felt invigorating. The man had caused so much pain and suffering and Robin couldn't do anything about it till now.

Kevin shifted his eyes upwards onto Robin's face; "You've got issues, kid."

Robin shook his head, surprise etched on his face. He had been caught off guard by the statement. "W-What?"

The serial killer blinked slowly once more, "You have serious anger issues. You might want to look into some management classes for it seems this superhero gig isn't working for you."

Robin let go of the man's head and took a step back. The anger was already building up and threatened to explode and cause more damage than merely a bruised cheek. Inhaling a shaky breath to calm his raw nerves, Robin shifted a little to have his back to the clear wall. He knew the cops were on the other side were watching in. He had to play cool otherwise he might end up in jail as well.

Coughing, Robin quickly collected his cool. Eyes locked on the farthest corner in the room. "Lets talk about how you killed them."

Pushing himself off the table with his shoulders, Kevin stretched his jaw. Robin flicked his gaze to the man. "Don't want to brag?"

Kevin made a chopping motion before settling back into the chair. His hands pried away from each other as far as they could go, the light clinking of handcuffs echoing in the air.

"Oh come on, don't you want to be famous?"

The sharp tone made Kevin close his eyes and chuckle, "Did it for the money."

Raising an eyebrow, Robin turned slowly. "Money?"

Kevin opened his eyes into slits, those hazel eyes darkening under the shadows. "You'd be surprised how much hospitals are willing to pay for organs, hair and skin."

The reply drained any color from Robin's already pale cheeks. The detectives and him were always wondering where certain missing organs, sections of hair and skin went. How could a killer hide such extreme objects? Simple. He hadn't. Instead, he cut off any links by selling them to hospitals. The institutions would have records on the donations, but lying on the paperwork on where such objects were taken from would be easy. And with the high demand of organ transplant, wigs for chemo victims and skin gratification for burnt victims, it wouldn't be impossible to trace…but the mere fact…

Robin's gut clenched in disgust. Kevin watched as the young man swallowed hard sending a wicked grin to slither across his features. "Wouldn't it be something, to see the reaction of each patient as they were told that their new organ, hair or skin was from a murder victim?"

Kevin closed his eyes once more and imagined their horrified faces as the screams of his victims vibrated in his mind. The grin softened into a pleasurable smile.

Robin walked up to the criminal. The pure bliss on the man's face entranced his young mind. Sure, he had seen such high expressions on those of Gotham's elite psychos. But, to see it on such a young face with no dyed skin, marred features or prominent distinctions were startling. Stopping right at Kevin's side, Robin felt his breath slow down to the point where he could feel each inhale and exhale.

"You…got pleasure from it…" whispered Robin's voice. There was no hint of the authority, no trace of the Leader of the Titans.

"Mmmm," hummed Kevin.

"You said you didn't do it to feel alive," pausing Robin blinked and sent his eyes to lock on the handcuffed hands. "It was a sick experiment which in turn benefited those who were dying…"

Hazel eyes dulled with the remembrance of intoxication slide open staring deeply into the flat ceiling. To feel dead was an amazing drug.

"Death was your result and yet you prevented it in other situations. It was like substitution."

"Substitution," murmured the man as he came down from his dream.

"In some manner, you wanted to experience death but find some way to stop it." The light bulb clicked in Robin's head. His feeble voice collected steam and roared into his characteristic demanding tone. "Death made you feel. It became some drug for you in that you were able to get a high off of your victims' pain and deaths. But you needed reassurance that you could get back somehow and not bear the guilt. So you figured that you would prevent the dying of someone else by donating the necessary implants."

The serial killer licked his lips as he lowered his lips. The blissful look was dissipating in beat with Robin's words.

Robin slammed his left hand on the table as he leaned into Kevin's right ear, hissing, "You killed those people because you wanted to become immortal."

Kevin turned his head so he was face to face with Robin, "Like I said, you kids have a wild imagination." Those hazel eyes blazed for a brief second with an unholy light. "I did it…"

Silence filled the room, drowning Robin in it as he watched those rough lips part to allow contaminated air leave the man while fresh air was sucked in. Time slowed to the point where he could swear he felt the earth move beneath his steel-toed shoes. The thundering of his heart pushed warm blood throughout his entire body, up to the small tips of his fingers that behind the tight spandex green gloves were sweating with anticipation.

Lips lowered, as the corners curved upwards slightly.

"because I was bored."

**-1 month later-**

Robin marched numbly into the main room of Titans Tower. His feet dragged, banging loudly as he barely made it down the three steps. Behind him, his hand dragged the black cape with little zeal. He had removed it once he parked his cycle in the garage. It was chocking him and despite it being off, his throat continued to tighten. His own stomach had its' own mind, clenching and twisting with every breath.

The Titans stared wordlessly as their leader halted in the middle of the open space. Sitting on the couch, Beastboy peered over his shoulder and took in the mud caked uniform, dirty smeared face and disheveled hair of his best friend. Cyborg, who sat next to Beastboy with the screen behind them still flashing the bright colors of the forgotten video game, assessed the tighten, hollow look on Robin's face. The soft clinking signaled Raven lowering her teacup taking in the silent waters of Robin's mind. Stepping out from behind the kitchen counter, Starfire wiped her hands clean of the purple sauce taking in Robin's small frame. It looked like his very soul had been ripped out.

She swallowed as flashes of the crime scenes they had investigated damped her mood. Despite it being a month, each of them still suffered from nightmares of that case. When they had finally captured Kevin, none of them had the energy to be present when the police requested one of them to be present in the interrogation.

The case had smashed their innocence into a fine dust. Realizing they were too exhausted both physically, mentally and spiritually, they were both surprised and not when Robin volunteered. He had marched out of the Tower with such a determination that it made them remember who exactly their leader was. He was Robin, a vigilant from Gotham City. Clearly, he was used to and experienced in these types of crimes.

After he had returned from the police department, all Robin said was that Kevin had confessed and would now await trail. And that was that. No more words were spoken and they avoided the news channels that broadcasted the trail of Kevin the Snake Charmer—for his manners were misleading. Throughout the month, Robin sat them all down and forced each member to talk out their feelings and thoughts concerning the case.

The sessions helped greatly. But whenever one of them, particularly Raven or Starfire, tried to make Robin talk, the boy's face would fall into an emotionless mask. Shrugging his shoulders, he would reword what Cyborg or Raven said and then declare the session over.

Shaking her head, Starfire realized that Robin needed to let it out before something terrible would happen.

Cyborg voiced her concerns, his words shaky with uneasy. "You look like hell, Rob."

Raven flinched, concern flashing on her face. Starfire saw the burst of emotion and knew that the situation wasn't good. Her hands tightened as green eyes watched Robin's fingers loosen, letting the cape fall to the ground like a battered flag. His small chest began to quicken.

"Dude, you all right?" whispered Beastboy, afraid that if he said something wrong Robin would snap.

None of them had ever seen their leader this emotional before. Then again, today was not a normal day. In his mind, Robin was stuck in the events that played out yesterday. He had left to go back to the police station. Being a witness in the interrogation and representing the Titans, Robin had sat in a small room and watched as the execution commenced. It had not been a surprise that Kevin received the death sentence, but it was startling to see how fast it was processed through the system.

Squeezing his eyes shut, Robin tried to heave in another breath, but his constricted lungs wouldn't allow it. His limbs tired from all the digging began to shake violently. All he could see was the remains of the other seven victims. Smell was the stench of decay. Feeling was moist soil and soft flesh. Taste was the acidic bile that tainted his mouth. Hearing drowned out his friends, zooming in one the pleasant voice of a killer's last words that described the location of each of his other murders.

As the sleeping liquid seeped through Kevin's veins, he had locked his eyes on Robin's emotionless face, flashing that grin once more. "Immortality is death."

A second later, Kevin's eyes closed forever as the poison slowly began to be injected into his body. After that, the victims' families grieved while Robin and the police ran out into the night to find the missing people.

And find them, they did.

A chocked sob broke through his barriers when he felt a soft hand land on his shoulder. Opening his eyes, Robin barely made out Star's worried face.

"You saved them Robin. You gave those poor people justice, but moreover you gave them peace."

Starfire blinked back tears as she watched shock crack the mask before shattering it into a million pieces. Astonished, she barely caught Robin in time as he collapsed in a boneless heap. A painful wail broke through the wall that formed in his chest. Tears running down his cheeks soaked Star's purple uniform as she cradled him.

Both sitting on the ground, the alien princess rubbed Robin's back murmuring comforting nothingness as her own eyes shed precious water. Around them, Raven, Cyborg and Beastboy kneeled onto the ground, resting their hands on Robin's shaking form offering much-needed support. The Titans cried silently while their leader grieved for all those that they could not save.

--

A/N: What my mind comes up with, I have no clue. I need help, me thinks. And I hope this wasn't too OOC, especially at the end. But hey, Robin can handle only so much. He's human after all.


	26. Cooties

A/N: Thank **_Unleash the Shadow _**for making me finish this guy and posting it up so quickly. THANKS! This is the continuation of "A Kid's Game," where Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and Batman were turned into 8 year old kids and went to the Titans to find a way to turn back to normal. Oh and I apologize if some of the characters seem a bit OOC but in this situations can you blame them?

**Cooties**

_Robin bolted down the hallway and returned back to the lobby where a few seconds later the girls and Batman joined him and the rest of the group. Cyborg was already typing fast on the keyboard, eyes scanning the map._

"_What we got, Cy?" asked Robin._

_Cyborg shot Robin a pitying look, "You don't want to know."_

_Fists clenching, only one name came to mind. "Titans go!"_

_Shooting a 'Better-stay-out-of-this' glance at Batman, Robin left the four Justice League members blinking in confusion._

"_Why can't we have a cool charging line like that?" complained Lantern._

Slade was back and that meant Robin wasn't going to let anyone else have their turn with the villain. Not to mention he didn't want Batman finding out how his ex-sidekick got a bit obsessed and violent with the villain.

Parking a few blocks down from a jewelry store, Robin shot Cyborg a questioning look. It wasn't like Slade to steal from such meager pickings. Hopping out of the vehicle, Cyborg swallowed, "It's not Slade, Robin."

As if to answer his leader's question, a high squealed voice pierced the air. "ROBBIE-POO!"

Time came a screeching halt. For a brief moment, Robin felt his heart slam hard against his chest, the Earth stopped rotating and Hell froze over.

Blood drained from Robin's face, his jaw hanging open as his one of his worst nightmares came skipping towards him. A slim pink headband pushed her shoulder length blond hair back. The pink t-shirt with a large white daisy and the word QUEEN-BEE blended perfectly with the dark shade of pink shoes finished off by pink tennis shoes with a white strip running down the middle.

Yet all that filled his vision was those large annoying lips moving up and down. Heart beating faster by the minute, memories he tried to repress burst through the surface in the form of those fish-like lips puckering up towards him for a kiss.

"Robbie-poo?" questioned a mocking voice.

Screaming, Robin leapt a foot into the hair arms flailing out as he came crashing down onto the ground. Jumping to his feet, Robin spun around dusting himself in the process. Panting, he seethed at Batman and the rest of the Justice League as they landed quietly next to his friends. Green Lantern, Cyborg and Beastboy were giggling.

Superman had a totally confused look on his face. Turning to Raven, he spoke in that all-knowing voice, "Robbie-Poo?"

Raven sighed, "Let's just say-"

"NO!" screamed Robin, "There will be no-Umph!" He felt a small but strong arm pull him into a chock-hold.

Kitten held Robin right into her chest, "Oh Robbie-poo, how I've missed you!"

"Ki-mph, leth go!" Pushing himself free, Robin staggered backwards, shivering from oxygen deprivation and pure embarrassment. Blinking away, he tried to focus on the fact that Kitten had a massive diamond necklace on with blue sapphire earrings and ruby bracelets. "Yo-you're under ar-arrest."

Green Lantern leaned into Beastboy, "Her name's Kitten?"

Beastboy nodded, grinning like crazy. "Yep. Her dad's Killer Moth and that-"

A loud shatter resonated in the street as a man dangling between six legs with a spider face for head marched out carrying bags full of jewelry.

Superman felt his mouth drop, "What is that?"

Cyborg laughed, "That's Fang, Kitten's boyfriend."

"EX-Boyfriend," screamed Kitten at the group behind Robin. "He's a big jerk! Won't even take me out to dinner cause it's too expensive." Blinking her massive blue eyes, Kitten leaned in towards Robin, a sincere smile stretched out across her face, "But Robbie was never like that. He's a gentleman."

Robin leaned as far as he could away from the thief. "Kitten, remember I put you in jail."

Batting her eyes, she ignored the loud crashing of the booty behind her. "But it was soooooooo romantic."

Robin felt his guts twist at the sound of her shrilling. His mind kept begging for the woman to stop leaning in with those big lips. And he couldn't count on his friends cause they would find this all too amusing.

"You will leave Robin alone and no longer call him Poo!" shouted a voice he never thought he would feel so glad to hear.

Starfire walked right up behind him, green eyes blazing with energy. Grabbing his right arm, she tugged him right up to her, "Go back to Fang."

The innocent look evaporated as Kitten's eyes took in the form of her greatest rival. The smile morphed into a tight sneer. "What. Did. You. Say?" growled a menacing voice, not at all like the high-pitch a second ago."

Starfire leaned down and met Kitten's gaze head-on, "I said leave Robin alone."

Fang took a step forward, not liking where his girlfriend was going with this. Sure they had a fight in the store right before the heroes showed up, but that wasn't enough to break up and go running back to Robin. "Kitten baby…"

"SHUT UP FANG!" Kitten lunged out and grabbed a hold of Robin's left arm, yanking him towards her. "Robbie-Poo is mine, princess!"

Starfire yanked back, "No he is not!"

Robin rolled his eyes upwards where he watched the two women bickering back and forth; their teeth sharpening like knives and eyes blazing with foreign light. His shoulders groaned in protest as his head and neck began to ache with whiplash. If he didn't stop this, he was going to die.

"Ladies!" shouted Wonder Woman. Stepping past Batman, the Amazon girl shook her head, but couldn't help but smirk. It was so cute how these two girls were fighting over Robin. Ever since she first met him, Wonder Woman knew that Dick would be like Bruce when it came in the looks department. And as the boy got older, both he and Bruce would have to deal with the throngs of women after him.

Starfire and Kitten paused and glanced over at Wonder Woman, a dizzy Robin hanging limply between them.

"What?" screamed Kitten.

"Is there a problem, Wonder Woman?" spoke Starfire in a calm voice as if this type of thing was nothing new to her.

Wonder Woman folded her arms just as Batman scoffed next to her. "Listen, it seems you both have a thing for Robin."

"I saw him first!" shouted Kitten quickly.

Starfire glared at the blond woman, "But I am his girlfriend!"

The statement splashed like cold water on Robin, snapping him to reality. Eyes wide, he gulped when he took in the two Justice League members in front of him. Wonder Woman felt her mouth go dry. As if reading their minds, Green Lantern, Superman and her turned to regard Batman. They knew all too well of his policy of dating in the team.

The man is question shrugged, "Like I care."

Wonder Woman felt her mouth drop, "Not care! Batman, Robin is-"

A high-pitched screech filled the air, "How dare you!"

"How dare I?" roared back Starfire.

Fang ran towards Kitten, seeing her free hand reach behind to pull out the remote that would release a thousands baby mouths out into the city. "Kit-"

No longer regarding Robin's safety, for the fight was now purely out of their own damaged pride, the two teenage women threw Robin into the air. Robin yelped in surprise but that was quickly silence when he collided straight into the running Fang.

His body slammed into the older boy's chest sending them crashing and rolling onto the hard cement before slamming into the brick lining of the jewelry store.

"Damn," gasped Green Lantern, "Talk about a wipeout."

Beastboy gulped, scared at the sight of Starfire. Nudging Raven in the ribs, he pointed at the fiery redhead, "Have you-"

Raven shook her head, "Nope. I guess that's righteous anger for you."

Superman gulped, "Shouldn't we like stop them?"

Cyborg laughed nervously, "You go ahead and stop a cat fight."

Wonder Woman cringed as she saw Robin flying into the air. "Girls…"

"Friend, please do not interrupt!" shouted Starfire.

"Yeah, lady. What would you feel like if one of us got to Mr. Dracula over there!" added Kitten between a viscous swipe at Starfire.

Wonder Woman blinked. They would go after Batman? Frowning, the young Amazon woman walked up to the women, "What did you say?"

Starfire knocked away the remote before holding her hand upright to halt Kitten's counterattack. "Batman only listens to you and from how you talked of him back in the Tower as we proceeded to paint our nails, it sounded like you like him."

Kitten huffed, "Sister, it's written all over on how you stand next to Dark and Glum."

Lips tightening into a tiny pout, Wonder Woman felt embarrassment fill her. Was she truly that easy to read? If so, why hadn't Batman returned the feelings? "He's not-And don't call me sister!"

"Snooze you lose," mocked Kitten in a singsong voice. "Miss Wannabe Superwoman."

Something snapped in Wonder Woman. No way was she going to let this snot nosed brat insult her in the ways of dating. Hurt emotions of an eight-year old surged through her. Pulling back her arm, she uppercut Kitten. Kitten spun around and collided with Starfire.

"Take back what you said!" With that, she leapt into the brawl. "And it's Wonder Woman!"

"No! And Robbie's mine!" shouted Kitten one last time as both Wonder Woman and Starfire lunged at her.

The dust cloud bellowed around the two fighting women. The flashes of blond, black and red could barely be seen.

Cyborg sighed, his shoulders sagging, "Great. And here I thought Wonder Woman would be able to break up the fight, not become part of it."

Beastboy snorted, "I don't know what you're worried about. I'm kicking myself we didn't bring a camera!"

Green Lantern giggled, "I know! We so can use some popcorn right about now."

Superman shot an incredulous look at the two green men, "Are you kidding me? Wonder Woman and Starfire could hurt Kitten!"

Cyborg glanced at the mighty hero, "Then go do something."

"No," squeaked the Man of Steel, "It's like a brawl between tigers." Seeing the surprised look that Cyborg sent back, Superman realized he was being quite the baby. It sucked being 8 years old. "But…" gulping, he yelled out, "HEY STOP YIKES!" Ducking down, he barely avoided two green energy blasts fly over his head, "CALM WHOA!" Jumping to the side, he barely dodged the golden rope that was flying at him with deadly accuracy.

Skidding up next to Raven, Superman panted, "They're insane!"

Raven nodded, understanding on her face. "Oh course, they're in love and it doesn't help that two of them are teenagers while the other is trapped in an eight-year old body." Lowering her hood, Raven raised her hands as black magic encompassed them.

Superman smiled shakily, "You going to stop them?" A groan of disappointment marked Beastboy and Green Lantern's protest.

"No," scoffed Raven, "I'm just putting the jewelry back where it belongs."

Superman moaned and collapsed onto the floor as he watched beyond the brawling women the stolen jewelry floating back to the store. Kitten leapt into the air and did a split in the air, her feet making contact in Wonder Woman and Starfire's faces.

"Hahaha, take that!"

"You little-!"

"How dare you!"

Gasps and hisses danced through the onlookers. All the while, Batman merely rolled his eyes not believing what was going on. This was a waste of time. And stupid girls were fighting over the most mundane things. Really, boyfriends? Disgusting. Dancing through rubble and raining debris, he made his way to a staggering Robin and a crawling Fang. Halting before them, he shook his head pitifully when two pairs of eyes looked up at him.

"We need to talk."

Robin hung his head in defeat as Fang whimpered next to him.

-Half an hour later-

The cops were writing down reports while Raven told them what had happened. Behind her, a handcuffed, beaten up Kitten with a swollen lip and ripped blond hair was being led into the cop car. All the while she was snarling out that Robbie-Poo was her boyfriend or that was what it sounded like. It was hard to understand with her swollen jaw.

Fang was nowhere to be seen but his booty was strewn in a nice pile next to the curb. The same was for Robin and Batman. How the three disappeared was beyond her thinking, but then again most of them had been distracted by the catfight.

The officer thanked her allowing Raven to turn around and regard her companions. Green Lantern was snickering to his heart's delight as Beastboy and a reluctant Cyborg were handing over their money. It seemed halfway through; the boys had started to bet on who would win. Green Lantern immediately called Wonder Woman; Beastboy tagged Starfire leaving Cyborg with Kitten.

And of course, Lantern won as seen clearly as the green old-cashier clinked with every bill. Due to her long-time experience, Wonder Woman somehow managed to knock out Starfire before finishing off Kitten five minutes later. Raven was surprised the fight had lasted this long. Then again, Wonder Woman still had to get use to the hindrances of a small body. And that Starfire wouldn't lose without a fight. The alien princess was almost a match for the Amazon princess.

"Almost," murmured Raven as she sighed and glanced over to where Superman was nursing a tired Wonder Woman and a groggy Starfire who had regained conscience a few minutes ago.

Both girls' cloths were tattered, hair fizzled and sporting multiple cuts and bruises. Wonder Woman had a nasty left black eye while Star had hers on the right. A terrible gash was on the smaller girl's forehead while the redhead had a swollen nose. Thankfully it wasn't broken.

"Maybe now you guys will know better not to get in a fight over a mere boy," mumbled Superman.

"Sorry Supes," muttered Wonder Woman as she hissed when the dark haired boy applied ointment on her scrapped knee.

"I'm sorry too," whispered Starfire. Shoulders sagging, the redhead let the tears fall down her cheeks, "I should not have given in that easily."

Wonder Woman painfully reached out and patted the taller on the shoulders, earning a hiss of pain from her. "Tis ok, us girls gotta fight for our boys."

Starfire grinned with great effort, eyes blurring up, "Thank you. So you and Batman…"

A blush danced on Wonder Woman's cheeks. Superman could only blink up at his comrade. Diana noticed the look and demanded, "What?"

The side of Superman's lip curled up in a cute disgusted way, "I just don't get it."

Wonder Woman sighed as Starfire giggled. In the background, they heard Green Lantern shout out, "Like I said, for a guy with like 50 types of vision you are so blind!"

The light bulb finally clicked and Superman's face lit up, "….Oh…"

The look was enough. Laughter burst out into the street as the Titans and the Justice League members laughed out to their hearts content all at the sake of the young Superman's ephinany.

--

A/N: Well there ya have it! The misery I put these guys through :) Till next time, take care!


	27. Fool me once

Disclaimer: Since this drabble was pretty much influenced by the Teen Titans, Batman Beyond and the Nightwing comics, I don't own any of these. It's all DC baby and Cartoon Network.

A/N: Dang, FF got all fancy in these updates. Kinda miss the old one...just kidding XD And this is got to be the longest drabble, 13 pages yeeeee haw! Shout out of thanks to Balance in the Dark for the plot bunny behind this drabble. Instead of mass producing even more plot bunnies, it presented the best way to knock down of few of my own resulting in this hybrid creature. So thanks! This one is for you.

**Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice...**

The loud ringing of the siren did nothing to drown out the beeping sounds of the heart monitor. The blond hair paramedic shifted in the small ambulance to work the oxygen mask over his patient's mouth. The tall, well-built form of an elderly man was laid out on the gurney. The black dress jacket was unbuttoned revealing the ripped white blouse to allow small round electronic nubs to make contact with the firm pale skin of the chest. The thick, shaggy gray hair spread out on the white pillow like a familiar cowl. Tiny whips of air fogging the mask were the only form of life coming from the man. Raising the needle into the air, the paramedic tapped it lightly squirting out a liquid. Feeling pleased, the blond man bent down injecting the drug into the unconscious man.

"There that should do it," sighed the paramedic, "Close call, was this the first time he ever experienced a heart attack?"

A large man sat across from the paramedic, his dark blond hair was streaked with white strands. Running a hand over the strong, angular face, the man shook his head, "I don't know."

The paramedic cocked his right eye; doubt flickering in the green orb, "You're his son…"

A cold eye stared right back, its' partner hidden underneath a black eye patch, "We've…been out of touch…since Mom and him divorced…hence the different last names."

The paramedic mouthed an "Oh" and handed the man a clipboard. "Know how that feels. All right, Mr. Wilson, here you go. Since you're his son, you know more than me."

Wilson nodded and slowly reached out, "Sure." The soft voice betrayed the worry towards the elder man lying between them. To die of a heart attack…

The paramedic seemed to sense the concern. Flashing a reassuring smile, he patted the old man's shoulder. "He's strong for being around 70. Mr. Grayson will be fine here."

The statement brought forth a smile while a nostalgic gaze fell onto Wilson's gray eye, "I know."

Blinking, he pulled out a pen from his gray business suit and began to write in the form. He remembered everything about Dick Grayson and filling out such important information such as blood type and medical aliments was a breeze. The only thing he did not know was the boy's-

Slade shook his head. No, Dick wasn't a boy anymore he could clearly see that. Hell, the brat wasn't even an adult…he was an… Glancing once more at the still figure, Slade felt his heart twist in apprehension. To see Dick older than him was disturbing, just plain out wrong. His archenemies shouldn't be older than him and lying unconscious after suffering a heart attack.

Gazing back down at the sheet, Slade finished the paper just as the ambulance came to a screeching halt. Handing the paramedic the clipboard, he barely heard the thanks. He merely sat still as the doors slammed open and two people and the paramedic pushed the gurney with Dick on it out of the ambulance and rushed into the hospital.

Letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding, Slade slid out of the ambulance. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, he marched slowly into a New York City hospital. As nurses, doctors and worried family members rushed all around him in a blur, Slade continued to walk. Upon entering the loud tense filled waiting room, he spotted an empty chair and slide down into it. His bones ached but that was nothing compared to the heavy rock that was his heart.

Slumping in the chair, Slade unbuttoned the top three buttons of his own white shirt beneath the gray suit. Scrubbing his face, Slade ran the hand through his hair remembering the event before the ride.

He had been in New York City, the uptown part for some client consultation. Rose had all but left him years ago. After the collapse of the Bat clan, he had lost all interest in fighting against Batman or toying with his sidekicks. What the Joker had done to Robin was inexcusable. If Tim Drake hadn't killed him, he would have. Everyone knew how possessive Deathstroke the Terminator was towards Robins, particularly with the eldest bird Nightwing.

Nightwing…

Slade lifted his gaze slightly to peer down the hallway to see if a nurse was coming his way. Nothing. The endless waiting and slowing of time reminded him when he waited for the doctor to tell him about his son, Joseph's condition after getting his throat slit. Now to have Dick on the other end was almost a bit too much. Wanting to push away from the worry, he found himself collapsing into a memory.

_Slade had run into the former superhero earlier that night at an exhibition opening on Ancient Chinese warfare. Slade spotted Dick staring hard at a partially intact landmine. Sliding next to the man, he waited for the familiar snarl to welcome him._

"_Never knew the Chinese invented landmines," whispered Dick._

_Slade tilted his head, caught off guard by the weariness in the man's voice. Taking the time to soak in changes, Slade let his eye travel over Dick's body. The superhero had been the cocky, optimistic, suicidal hero the last time they fought in New York City._ _Nightwing was in his middle thirties but was still able to outfight, outlast and out-quip any hero and villain. Surprisingly, the kid never took on a sidekick but he was keeping the street of New York clean without the help. The two had fought on the roof of an opera house, where Slade's hit was attending the latest production. It was the first and only time that Nightwing successful beat him. But instead of turning him into the police, Nightwing had let him go with a warning._

_That was almost forty years ago and Slade could see the wear and tear on the ex-superhero. Dick's black hair was now a mop of dark gray hair with a full-grown and trimmed goatee framing the taunt pale skin. He had lost weight but the presence of muscles was present underneath the black tuxedo. Scars were faintly present but it was the dull gold ring around the man's left ring finger that caught Slade's attention. When had the boy gotten married? And to whom? It clearly wasn't Raven, she had returned home and Starfire was married to Tempest, the first Aqualad. Barbara, the first Batgirl, was married to some mayor and was Commissioner of the Gotham Police._

_He found himself opening his mouth to ask the question when he noticed haunted wise eyes staring right into him. Deep sea eyes were rimmed by a dark hallow look. Dick wasn't getting enough sleep. Slade found himself coughing lightly in his hand to break eye contact. It was a bit unnerving seeing how much Dick had aged._

_Despite being older in terms of age, Slade realized that he would never experience the pains and pleasures of growing old. That and seeing the vibrant Dick, who had caught his eye long ago as Robin the leader of the Teen Titans, as this weak elderly man made something twist in his gut. The cold bucket of reality was dumped onto his head. Soon, his one and only true adversary that dared to challenge him since he was a teenager was going to die of old age and leave him all alone._

"_Talk about the turning of tables," mumbled Dick's deep voice with a grace only bought through with time._

_Slade nodded and fixed his eye onto the small info box, "I might not look it, but I am older than you, brat."_

_Laughter trickled out of Dick, "But I'm better looking."_

_Slade scoffed, shaking his head as he fixed his eye back onto the man. And to his surprise, Dick was grinning with that Cheshire-like grin straight at him. "You still have a death wish, kid."_

_The grin faltered ever briefly. "You do too. For I remember a certain night where I said if I caught you back in my city, I'd finish the job."_

"_Well from what I can tell, Nightwing hasn't been seen in over forty years, so I have nothing to fear." Flashing his own smirk, Slade gazed back down at the landmine._

_He could feel those blue eyes studying him, but there was no familiar blaze of anger. And that was when the worm of concern began to slither into his mind. What had happened to his ex-apprentice?_

_Flicking his gaze over his shoulder, he watched as Dick raised a hand to his chest. A flash of discomfort was gone in a blink of an eye. "Yeah well, times change but I still have connections."_

_Slade smirked softly, "Still talking big for a small fry." He watched as an old scowl tug at Dick's lips. The memory of when Robin was under his apprenticeship shone with clarity. Robin had been a small boy for his age, but with a mouth that always was larger as Slade hammered home in their training sessions._

"_Well I think…I finally grew in-" Dick squeezed his eyes shut as a stab of pain rammed into his chest, "to it…" A gasp of pain fogged up the display glass as Dick fell forward clutching his chest._

_Without thinking, Slade lunged forward and caught the falling form, "Dick!" But the man didn't hear him, twitching in pain as his heart spasmed. Slade's eye widened when he realized that Dick was suffering a heart attack. Cradling Dick's head, he yelled at the nearest attendant._

"_Call the hospital! He's having a heart attack!" Watching the balding rich man numbly nod before bolting away, Slade snarled and pulled out his own cell phone. This new generation had no clue how to deal with situations even with all their advanced technology. Dialing 911, he growled when a mechanic voice answered. Oh, what he would give to have the good old days back._

_Barking out the location of the museum and the situation, he slammed the phone shut and dropped it back into his pocket. Running a hand through Dick's sweaty hair, Slade watched as the man's twitching body slowly ceased as precious minutes passed. _

"_You better live through this brat," hissed Slade right when the paramedic's rushed in. Well it seemed that having faster cars did pay off. Breaking away to allow the men to do their jobs, he sighed with relief. One of the men walked to him, placing a hand on his shoulder, "Your father will be alright sir. You can join us if you want-"_

"_Mr. Wilson," blurted out Slade before he could correct the man. Damn Dick for working him up. And that was how he received a free ride in the ambulance._

"Sir, Mr. Wilson, sir," the soft voice of the nurse pulled Slade out the memory. A small petite woman with purple and blue hair in a ponytail was dressed in a simple white coat. Smiling, she clasped her hands in front of her, "Your father's awake. You can go see him. It seems it was only a mild stroke, no damage done."

"What room?" growled Slade, not liking how they kept referring to Dick as his father. Then again, he could only imagine Dick's reaction when the man found out.

"307."

"Thank you." Getting up, he pushed past the woman and walked up the stairs to the room. A quick glance at the clock told him that two hours had past by. It close to midnight. Perfect time for all the noternal creatures to come and play. Walking silently, Slade noticed the door to 307 was slightly ajar allowing for light to spill out into the hall. Reaching for the knob, he pushed the door open pausing when he spotted Dick sliding into his black jacket.

"What do you think you're doing?" snapped Slade.

Dick turned slightly taking in the massive, unchanged form of Slade in the doorway. Back in the day, the sight might have been intimidating but not anymore. "It is quiet clear, no?"

Slade snarled, stepping fully into the room. Slamming the door shut, he marched over to Dick. Grabbing the man by the forearm, he threw Dick back onto the bed. So what if he was older now, Slade did not care at the moment. "You just suffered a stroke-"

"I know. They're frequent."

The assassin found himself speechless, "C-come again."

Dick tugged at his sleeves, eyes never once leaving Slade's. "I get one about every month."

"Every month?"

"Comes with old age, you know, then again you wouldn't know anything about that would you."

The condescending voice hinted at the ghost of the former superhero. Slade crossed his arms, humiliation making him realize that he might have underestimated Dick. It seemed old age was not an issue with this one. "The hospital didn't have a record on you."

Dick leaned back and propped himself on his arms, legs crossing at the ankle as they dangled over the edge. Answering in a concise, neutral tone of a seasoned detective, Dick filled in the blanks. "First time I went to one."

"Care to clarify."

"Does Bruce know?"

The sudden change in topic made Slade blink. "No. I filled out the paperwork and figured you didn't want him to know."

Dick nodded softly, "Thanks." Then he tilted his head, confusion flickering in his eyes, "You filled out the paper work? Only-"

"They assumed I was your son and I went along for the ride."

Dick leapt out of the bed with a quickness that surprised Slade. For being such an old man—but the finger jabbed into his chest broke the train of thought. As expected, fury burned on Dick's face.

"M-my son! What the hell? I'm not that freakin' old!"

Slade chuckled deeply, "To tell you the truth, I find it amusing."

Dick spun away snarling, "You would." Stalking over to a chair, he sat down and pulled out his black shoes. "My son? Come on, we don't even look alike."

As Dick continued to mutter out his rage, Slade walked quietly to the door locking it in the process.

"You know locking the door won't stop me."

Slade raised an eyebrow and turned to face Dick. But the man was facing downwards tying his right shoe. The sliding lock of the door was extremely quiet and could only be heard if…

"We need to talk," began Slade.

Dick finished tying his shoes. Leaning back, he crossed his legs and folded his hands in his lap like a professional. Fixing a stern gaze, Dick put on an emotional mask. It seemed he would be playing along. "What makes you think I'd talk to you, Slade? I mean I don't really chat with Bruce or anyone for that matter?"

Seating himself on the hospital bed, Slade's mind drifted over to the hospital equipment realizing that with the wires removed an alarm should be going off. But, the machine was still ticking and he could clearly see the makeshift tampering. Even the surveillance camera was put on replay with the image of Dick lying in bed. It seemed Dick had become quiet the tech nerd.

"Because I know you, Dick, since the moment I took you under my wing."

"Forcefully I remember."

Slade ignored the snide comment. This was a totally different Dick than back at the museum. The one sitting across from him was the suave, sassy Nightwing. Slade couldn't help but smirk. It seemed that some things didn't change. "Do you regret it?"

Dick's eyes narrowed, "Regret what?"

Slade eyed Dick like a disappointed parent, "It is quiet clear, no?"

Echoing his earlier words, Dick cursed under his breath. Why had it had to be Slade he met at the museum? And why did he even stay when he knew that the attack would come? Studying his once enemy, Dick realized under the stern gaze of a single eye that Slade truly did want to know the truth. And that whatever he said would remain a secret between the two.

Eyes flickering downwards, Dick eyed the golden band. How many times had he prayed to God for someone to talk to, someone that wouldn't judge him, as he knew that his family and friends would? Was this the answer to his years of loneliness and sinning? Was Slade the one man who would understand?

Pain welled in his chest, clenching around his tired heart. Raising his hand, he rubbed his chest. Dick caught the brief flicker of genuine concern on Slade's face. Lowering his hand, he knew that no heart attack would come and maybe if he did talk then the attacks wouldn't come as frequently.

"I don't regret it." He waited for Slade to say something, but all the man did was make a low grunt to acknowledge the statement. Licking his lips, Dick ran a thumb over the band. "I would give up the life of a normal human being to walk the same path of a superhero. I loved saving people and the interaction with different species. And being bathed in the spotlight of heroism was intoxicating."

Uncrossing his legs, Dick pushed himself up from the chair and walked over to the window. Gazing out over the bustling city, he rested his forehead against the cool glass. "I can't think of a life without protecting them. I was so addicted to it that even my escape as being Dick Grayson was morphing into being a hero. As a detective, I was able to purge corruption out of Bludhaven and here as well.

The drive for perfection, of being the ideal hero was breathing for me. I don't care if I killed any chances of living a normal life. Hell, even my romantic life was put on hold for any chance to better the superhero community. I fought every villain thrown into my path and then ran off to battle the ones over in Gotham, Jump and outer space. You know how I get…"

Slade nodded solemnly, remembering the obsession that fueled every punch and kick in their fights. "Yes."

Dick's shoulders slumped, age making itself apparent in the reflection. "But I'm only human. At the rate I was going, I knew deep down inside I would burn out one day. When I heard about Tim's incident with Joker, you don't know how much I wanted to drag Joker in a Lazarus Pit and bring him back to life just so I could torture and kill him."

"Glad you didn't," whispered Slade, his ears and mind picking up on a dark tone that was not present before.

Lost in the confession, Dick dug his nails into his pants. "After that, things just went down south. Mad Mob came and destroyed half the city. Members of the Brotherhood, like Madame Rouge, terrorized the citizens. I barely finished them off. I couldn't call on the Justice League for they were busy and Batman…well, he and Barbara were helping Tim."

"The Titans?"

A dark aura pulled on the taunt face, making the wrinkles menacing in the shadows. "Beastboy was busy with a Doom Patrol crisis. Cyborg said he needed to stay in Jump City. Starfire was somewhere with Aqualad and Raven was resealing Trigon."

Slade clicked his tongue, "Simply put, you outgrew them."

Dick nodded, "Like you said I would." Turning so his back faced the window, Dick eyed the ring. "Then you came and I beat you."

"Stop rubbing it in."

Dick laughed sadly, "That was the last thing in my career as a superhero. Figured I'd finish off with a bang."

Slade crossed his arms, shifting so he could prop one leg on the bed in half-crossed position. "Why'd you quite?"

A hint of despair laced the following words. Blue eyes fell upon themselves with a haunted look. "Like I said, burnt out. I couldn't handle it anymore alone. I could feel my age catching up on me. I was healing slower, my bones ached and my muscles were pulled on way too many occasions that soon I couldn't patrol all night."

"Why didn't you find yourself a sidekick?"

Dick smiled and gazed up at Slade, "Being your apprentice made me doubt my ability in that area."

Slade leaned forward, conviction in his voice. "Kid, you created and led the Titans and helped Tim as the new Robin. You're more than fit to be a teacher."

Whispered words were like a sonic boom. "I couldn't because I regretted not staying at your apprentice."

The assassin pulled back as if the confession was a punch to the face. Surprise announced the word, "What?"

Dick sighed, "I regret not taking you up on your offer. I should have stayed at least a year and learned your methods. Cause trust me, I could have used those in my last months."

"Dick-" But the man cut off Slade by raising his hand, "Let me finish."

The blond head bobbed up and down. Slade was captivated now.

Crossing his arms, Dick continued to play with the ring, "Looking back now, I realized that I regret a lot of things, like letting the superhero life consume my life and take away any chances of love and raising my own family. But the more I thought of it after defeating you; I knew that I regretted not listening to you over the years or during my apprenticeship. Deep down, I always felt a bit higher than the rest when you chose me first, even after Terra I knew that at least I held the first position.

Shortly after you left, New York underwent major constructional changes in the advent of the technology boom. A powerful gang, the precursor to the Joker Gang in Gotham, flooded the streets. It was a war that I almost died in…"

Slade rose from the bed, "Dick…" But the man didn't answer him. Straightening his back, Slade purred out a sacred name, "Robin."

The velvety voice jerked Dick to the present. "Sorry."

"Just finish the tale."

"The short version, I realized that I could have used some of your skills for these new villains are no longer afraid by our tactics. And that's when they found me."

Slade glanced down at the ring, "Who?"

Dick smirked playfully; a way Slade realized was to show that he wouldn't be getting the entire truth. "This isn't a wedding ring. Like I said, never had a chance."

"So?"

"It's a ring to show my loyalty."

"Loyalty?"

Dick shook his head. Lowering his arms, Dick walked towards Slade. Locking blue to gray, the ex-superhero patted Slade on the shoulder, "Thanks for saving me…son." Before Slade could lash out at the insult, Dick had already unlocked the door and was walking down the hall.

Slade glared at the open doorway as if it would rewind time. Sirens were ringing in his head. There was no way that Dick was still that fast, even with his trained human reactions. Being in his 70s, the man should be riddled with arthritis.

And there was the confession of regretting not to stay with him. And the symbol of the ring? Dick wasn't one to pledge his loyalty lightly. Whoever convinced the superhero to disappear off the face of the planet must be more precious than the Titans and Batman. It just wasn't in Dick's character.

Then again, he remembered the last fight and could now make out the signs of an exhausted superhero on the verge of collapse both physically and mentally. If the gang war were as bad as Dick claimed, it would have been the final straw. Straightening his jacket, Slade walked out of the room hell bent on following Dick. The brat would finish telling him the story.

Dick stepped out of the hospital without anyone noticing him. His skills as a Bat were as honed as when he was a teenager. Turning, he began to walk down the desolate street towards his apartment. A smart person would call up a taxi, but Dick needed the fresh air even if it was stale.

Shoes clicking against the pavement, his hand tugged at the sleeves once more. Beneath the black tuxedo, pink stains littered his white cuffs. Earlier that day, his boss had called him up for the monthly assassination of a gang leader. The leader knew that Dick was Nightwing and his whole code against killing. But for payback, Dick had to kill once a month. And the guilt from killing a man, even one as evil as Brother Blood was enough tension to trigger the heart attacks.

But all the pain was worth it.

Reaching an abandoned clothing store, he pulled out a pick. In two twists, the door creaked opened. Stepping inside, Dick quickly locked it behind and moved like a shadow into the back. Pulling a battered leather jacket, a pair of boots, jeans and a black t-shirt off the rack, Dick kicked off his dress shoes and stepped into the dressing room. Sliding off the black suit jacket, he tossed the article onto the floor. Next came the white shirt, with the blood stains for all to see. The senile villain had been at the exhibition, absorbing all the information on Chinese warfare. The act was fast and quick with a stab in the heart in the bathroom. Blood had no clue what hit him. Dic returned to the crowd with ease by seeming to be captivated by a rare landmine. He was about leave when the familiar burn of guilt bubbled in his stomach. Then Slade had stood next to him.

"Just my luck," hissed Dick to no one in particular. Unbuckling his pants, he slid the last article off. In the darkness, he barely made out the red tattoo of an X but he knew where it was on his hip. Fingers sliding up, they tugged gently at the edge of the X pulling back a clear film with the X on it. With a final push, Dick bit back a hiss as it came free. The moment it did, a buzzing sound resounded around him. Old, weathered skin peeled back in light revealing the smooth youthful skin below. The hologram spread over his entire body washing him in light. With a crack, the hologram faded out of existence leaving in its wake a handsome black-haired man with a goatee in his thirties.

Shaking off the tingling feeling, Dick grinned at another successful mission. He had been afraid that the hospital's equipment would pick up on the holographic chip, since it was illegal. But thankfully, his was the newest version and held intact.

Slipping on the new clothes, Dick realized that he had little time before he had to report to his boss. Opening the door, he stepped out the dressing room and immediately sent a punch flying at the massive shadow in front of him.

A hand raised itself and caught the punch easily. In pure instinct, a large fist crashed into Dick's temple, sending him flying into a counter. A single gray eye narrowed in on the collapsed figure of a younger Dick, who almost looked the same when he left. No one wonder the boy had fast reflexes. Anger at being played a fool, Slade clenched his fists as Dick pulled himself unsteadily onto his feet. Snarling, Slade let his anger be shown, "Care to explain?"

The harsh tone warned of unimaginable pain if Dick did not do what he was told. And he remembered what that warning meant. Even years after his apprenticeship, Dick still dreamt nightmares about it.

Pulling back, Dick sighed rubbing his sore temple realizing that his cover was blown. Even if he didn't tell Slade, the assassin would find out anyway. Stepping clear of the counter, Dick crossed his arms painfully. It had been awhile since he had been slammed into metal and he could already feel the bruises forming on his back and side.

"The people that found me were from a private sector. After healing me, their boss came to me with a proposal. He knew I was getting old and with the gang war not over, he feared, as did the politicians of New York, that I would die pretty soon."

Slade fought to keep his growing anger in check. If his conclusions were correct on what this sector did, "Dick what did you do?"

"They offered me a serum similar to the one that you took in the Army except it was more refined. I wouldn't go crazy for one."

"And you took it," hissed Slade. Was Dick truly that blind after everything he had seen?

Dick narrowed his blue eyes. "Yes," hissed back a dark voice. "I couldn't leave New York City alone to fight its battles. I was out of options."

"You could have died."

"It was a chance I was willing to risk," snapped back Dick.

Shaking his head, Slade massaged his temple, "What did you promise in exchange?"

"That I work for them in keeping the peace."

"And?"

"Every month, I do an assassination job."

Slade lowered his hands and stared at Dick as if he never saw him before. Dick, his Robin, was killing? "Really?"

Dick could see the disbelief but it no longer fazed him, "I killed Brother Blood in the bathroom tonight before you came."

The puzzle settled into place in Slade's mind. The ring showed Dick's loyalty to this sector that provided him immortal youth with enhanced speed. The tugging on the sleeves showed the boy's method of hiding the evidence. And the heart attack was trigged by guilt.

In the entire scope, Slade realized that this change was the answer to many more questions. The youthful appearance would have made the superhero community question Dick's stance as not only a hero but his allegiance as well. No wonder the boy dropped off the face of the planet. The excuse he had heard was that Dick had retired from being a superhero. It also provided an explanation as to the lack of interaction between Dick and Bruce, especially with the emergence of the new Batman. And the disguise of being his true old age would not raise questions in the public. Everything made sense now in the light that Dick had to keep his changed form a secret.

"How many are out there?" questioned the assassin, his mind calculating the numbers of these fighters that were just like him.

Dick frowned slightly, "Five now."

"Now?"

"We've got the speed enhancement and the halting of the age process, but we did not gain the healing aspect. Hence, we can still die, unlike you."

Slade shook his head, "I leave you alone for a few years and you go and sign away your soul."

Dick snarled, glaring right up into Slade's face, "You wouldn't understand."

"Oh?"

"It was the only way to ensure New York City's protection."

"And your lust for being a hero."

Dick's steady glare faltered for a moment. Lowering his head, he felt the truth wash over him like a cold shower. "So what if I did…" Eyes narrowing, Dick recalled all the lives he had saved in his new role, "I don't regret any of it."

The soft chuckle pulled Dick's attention back at Slade. The man crossed his arms across his chest, a pleased look in his eye. "Well if you don't have regrets, then it's fine by me."

"I don't need your permission."

"And you don't need your guilt."

Dick's mind picked up on the stern tone, "What are you saying?"

"I'll keep your secret safe."

Dick felt a grin grown on his face as an old familiar adrenaline rush filled his veins, "What do you want in return?"

Slade smiled evilly as he leaned forward into his long time student's face, "A rematch."

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A/N: I couldn't help it, ok. Writing an old Dick was kinda sad this time around so I threw the twist that Dick had taken a serum simliar to Slade. It's been brewing in my head that that could be reason of why we never see Dick old and everyones talks all hush hush about him. And I know Dick killing is a bit ooc, but the price was high and at least he feels guilty. Well, later!


	28. A VILLIAN Christmas Story

A/N: Hope you all are staying warm, cheerful and happy during these festive times :)

_A **Villian **Christmas Story_

White snow fell softly through the rustic pink sky. Three police cars roared down the barren city streets kicking up a gray-white dust in their tracks. In the distance, a clock tower rang with majestic ding-dongs the time of 11 o'clock at night on Christmas Eve. People young and old were at home with family and friends celebrating the colorful holiday. Children squeezed their eyes as they lay in bed, pretending to fall asleep as they waited eagerly for St. Nickolaus to deliver a bag full of presents.

Yet there was one teenager that was on Santa's naughty list. His black clad boots flew over the building tops as a tattered black cap sparkled with glistening white flakes. Tilting his head downwards, a skull mask could be seen as masked eyes seem to twinkle with glee. Leaping into the air, Red X twisted his body towards the cops, jingling the priceless large diamond ruby crested necklace between his black-gloved fingers.

Landing softly on the next roof, the infamous thief took a sharp left turn bolting towards downtown. "Frosty the Snowman, blah, blah, blah." Leaping once more into the air, he waved down to the cops, "Down to the village with a broomstick in his hand running here and there all around the square saying catch me if you can." With a single push of a button on his belt, Red X vanished into the night air.

Down below, the cop cars screeched to halt, each driver scratching their heads as to where the thief disappeared to. But not all the action happened in the uptown district of the city. Deep in the underground world in a large network of catacombs, a group of teenagers clustered around a single girl who sat with a smug posture on a chair. In her lap was a thin small book.

Pink hair was pulled up into two straight up pigtails with a single black band around each one, complimenting the black and dark purple dress and a single round purple disk that dangled from her choker. Two pink eyes with cat-like pupils narrowed at her audience. "It's Christmas Eve, boys. So shut up and listen!"

A mumbled groaning rumbled through the small five person audience. Jinx sent a dark glare silencing her companions. With a quick survey of the small catacomb room she had picked out in the Hive headquarters, the bad-luck witch cleared her throat. Opening the book, she smiled softly at the classical images and words greeted her. A warm feeling filled within her.

"It was the night before Christmas and all through Jump City," whispered Jinx, her voice soft but stern pulling her audience into the tale. "Not a creature was stirring not even Plasmus. The decorations were hanging by the street lamps with care, with every demand to be used as toys. The Titans were nestled in their Tower with care, dreaming of sugarplums and other goody-mush mush images." Taking in a deep breath, Jinx felt a childish awe tickle her inside. Her favorite part was coming up! Her voice rose with urgency as each word passed her lips, "With Master Blood in his cap had just moved away, the Hive Five were startled awake-"

"What kind of crap story is this?" snapped a whiny voice.

Jinx glared daggers at the small bald-headed Asian boy, "Shut up Gizmo, the best part is coming up!"

Gizmo rolled his eyes, as he crossed his arms. His metal spiders legs drummed in agitation and boredom on the floor, "Yada, yada. We all know there is no such thing as Santa Claus. This is a stupid waste of my time!"

"Whoa there little fella!" In his trademark red jumpsuit, Billy Numerous split into four other counterparts, gathering around Gizmo, "Back the train up!"

"Listen to Billy," exclaimed Billy #1.

Billy #2 nodded, "What's this business with Santa not being real?"

"He's real man," whispered Billy #3 as he stared up into the ceiling. Billy #4 joined him at his side, gazing up at nothing with eyes twinkling like stars, "Oh yes he is Billy, we've seen him."

"Got to sit on his knee and-"

Gizmo screamed and slapped his forehead, "You're an idiot!"

See-More decided then to get up from his position. His large eye began to rise, "I spy…presents somewhere!" Grabbing Kyd Wykkyd by his bat cloak, he began to float into the air, "Time to rob the Christmas tree!"

Kyd Wykkyd sighed, shoulders slumping into defeat wishing to teleport back into his bed with his teddy bear. He had wanted to listen to the story, especially when Santa laid out all the presents. Oh well, maybe next year- His thoughts were interrupted as he slammed into the corner of the doorway as See-More turned into the hallway. Rubbing his bright Rudolph red-nose, he was about to wave good-bye to Jinx before a powerful yank sent him flying down the hallway.

Jinx slammed the book down onto the floor and stood up from her chair. Gizmo and Billy were battling it out over Santa. The only one still sitting was Mammoth, who was perfectly content till a painful cry broke through the air. Holding the empty plate, the large teenager felt huge tears threaten to fall. "All my gingerbread men cookies are gone!" Then his grief was blasted away as a light blub clicked over head. Jumping to his feet, he bolted out of the room screaming, "Buttermilk cookies!"

That last act was enough. Screaming herself, Jinx snapped powerful electrical blasts at Billy and Gizmo. "You jerks ruined Christmas!"

Gizmo leapt to the side as another purple lightening struck the ground, "Run! She lost it!"

"I'm with ya!" Billy yelled, "She's turned into the Grinch! Come on Billys!" With the battle cry of retreat, Billy and Gizmo ran from the room with a fuming Jinx flying after them sending blasts whipping at them like Christmas lights.

The thundering boom vibrated the ground, residents living on the surface thought that it was simply a small earthquake. As the vibrating ceased, mothers and fathers gazed at each other, shrugged their shoulders and continued to sneak presents underneath the Christmas tree. But not all adults dismissed the vibration easily. A lone man in a mid-town apartment glared darkly out his window into the snow. He knew all too easily who was behind earthquake. Counting to ten, he felt confident that all action had ceased. Adjusting his position, the large man with shocking white hair sat cross-legged on the floor in front of his small fireplace. With a mug of hot dark-red gluevine placed between him and his mask while a radio softly played Christmas music in the background, the one-eyed villain found himself humming in the holiday spirit.

In front of him, rags, oil, polishing stones and an assortment of knives and swords were strewn about. His deep, purring voice grew louder as Slade found his hands falling into the familiar methodology of sharpening his favorite bowing knife back and forth on the granite stone.

"Seven conquered cities, six prosperous clients, five Teen Titans!" Slade held the note, flipping the knife onto its' other side, "Four semi-automatics, three new hide-outs, two robotic doubles." Laying the knife down, a feral grin darkened the smooth, handsome face contrasting the orange highlights from the fire, "And a Robin in a cage!" With the song ending in the background, Slade couldn't help but chuckle as he reached for the mug.

Just as the rich spice wine reached his lips, a soft knock was heard on his door. A gray eye narrowed slightly. Setting the mug down, Slade reached out for his mask as his eye shot a glance to the clock. Ten minutes to midnight. Who was out at this time of night? And then there were the factors of it snowing, his high security system not picking up the visitor and it being Christmas Eve. Rising onto his feet, Slade slid his black and orange mask on while with his other hand tucked the knife into the dark blue sweatpants. Adjusting his wool black hoodie over his pants, Slade quietly walked over to his door. One peek through the peephole and Slade quickly opened his door.

Standing in his doorway was Robin. His costume was the same except that he wore long green pants and a long-sleeved green shirt with a thick red hoodie vest keeping him warm. Snow melted rapidly dripping off of him forming a small puddle where he was standing. But the most interesting item was that the leader of the Titans was holding a plate of cookies out in front of him.

Slade tilted his head to the side, "My what a-"

A familiar scowl marred the young face as masked eyes slid into slits, "Your security sucks."

Anger at the direct statement bubbled away any of the festive spirit. "_Well, it seems someone is a Scrooge_," hissed Slade in his mind.

"I know where you live," continued Robin in his abrupt tone. He hated this. It was awkward beyond belief. He wanted this over and done with as quickly as humanly possible. "Cause it's the holiday season, I'm giving you till New Year's Day to leave my city or I'll be back."

Sensing Slade about to speak, Robin practically threw the plate of cookies into Slade's chest. Thankfully, the mastermind's reflexes were inhumanly fast and he was able to catch the snowflake decorated blue plate. Gazing down at the white bell, star and tree shaped cookies with yellow, red and green decorations and colorful sprinkles, Slade shifted uncomfortably before his young adversary.

Robin added harshly, "Here are some cookies." "_Starfire made them, so they're probably toxic. May you die on them_!" But his young face remained fixated on the scowl and the rising blush on his cheeks. Silence filled the space between them. The sounds of someone laughing with a feminine voice giggling drifted down the hall.

Gazing down at his feet, Robin gulped and tugged at his collar, "Merry Christmas, Slade."

Slade jerked backwards, eye widening. But before he could even respond, Robin disappeared in whiplash of air. Blinking, Slade shook his head wondering if the gluevine was getting to him. Stepping back into his apartment, he closed and locked the door. Leaning against it, Slade looked down at the cookies. "Merry Christmas to you too, Robin." Flicking his eye back to the window, he took in clear night sky, all traces of the snow clouds gone.

Off in the distant, four Titans flew across the city as they pursued the familiar skull-masked villain. Laughing all the way, Red X leapt into the clear, peaceful night sky. With the full moon beaming behind him, he threw open his arms beckoning the Titans to catch him.

As the clock struck midnight, Red X couldn't help himself, "Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!" Spinning, he waved goodbye and kissing his palm blew a kiss to Starfire, "See ya next year kiddos!"

In a flash he was gone but his heartfelt laughter rang clear in the night sky for all to hear.

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A/N: MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!! :)


	29. Girl Problems

A/N: So this is a little continuation in the Kid's Verse JLA with TT. It's just a little snippet between the boys and the image of milkshakes just wouldn't leave me. I'm planning on maybe one or two more from this little plot line, so if you have suggestions let me know!

**Girl Problems**

Roger the diner chef had seen many things in his whole life running this small rectangular restaurant on the corner of Elms and Torch Street in downtown Jump City. People waltzed and out of those red swinging doors, some one-time customers others had been visiting since he had opened way back in the 1950s. Flipping through today's receipts, Roger tried hard not to stare at the three customers that were chilling out at the middle of the bar. It was nearing midnight, with closing time an hour away. But Roger couldn't find the right words to address this situation to the customers.

Flickering his eyes down the cleaned counter, he took in the three glasses of milkshakes: one chocolate, the other vanilla swirled with pieces of Mms and one strawberry. Only the strawberry one was still left untouched, whereas the other two were now halfway down. But Roger could hardly blame the poor customer who had wanted the strawberry milkshake. His six legs were tied behind his back, hooked to his two human arms with steel handcuffs. Legs clicked to the chair legs, the poor teenager with the furry head tried to lean forward, his fangs clicking together to get at the straw. Yet the elusive plastic tube kept evading the fangs, tiny slits lining its' sides when there was a close encounter.

Next to Fang was Robin, the chef could tell immediately, moving his straw up and down in the chocolate milkshake was if he was hacking away at ice. The tight lips and brooding scowl only intensified the dark blush that burned on his cheeks. And next to the famous Jump City hero was a young eight-year-old boy who had ordered and paid for the milkshakes dressed like Batman. It was strange, Roger mused, how despite being the youngest in the trio, this kid appeared to be the authoritive figure.

Feet swinging off of the stool, black gloves holding the milkshake mixture, Batman sipped quietly at his milkshake. After the whole incident with the girls, the Detective knew that Robin had some explaining to do. So hauling Robin and Fang away from the chaos behind them, Batman wanted to find a private spot. The moment he spotted the diner, he knew it was perfect and a big craving for a milkshake overtook him. The last time Batman had one was when his dad took Bruce and they had split a major vanilla milkshake with Mms and chocolate chips in it before a major dinner function.

A low muttering broke through the memory. Batman took one long sip, enjoying the cold mush slid down his throat. Turning, he faced his ex-partner who was now sulking and sipping slowly at his milkshake.

"Is it true that you are dating Starfire?" began Batman.

Robin's blush deepened, "Yes…"

"Then keep your talons off my girl!" sneered Fang, leaning as far as he could into Robin's face.

Not one to back from a challenge, Robin fixated a heated glare right back to the spider man. "Oh, Kitten's all yours, Fang. You and that psycho chick can hang out as much as you want in jail as long as you can keep your arms on her, with your six other ones it shouldn't be hard at all!"

"Why I otta-"

"Fang drink your milkshake," ordered Batman. The high voice seemed off, but the Bat glare was all the thief needed to slouch back to his stool and try once again trying to get his straw.

Robin remained fuming, taking a long hard sip. As the cold liquid entered his mouth, a burning sensation erupted above his brow. Leaning forward, he placed a palm on his forward trying to ease away the brain freeze.

Batman noticed the flash of pain but did little to ease his ward's pain. "Now, that I have your attention. You know how I feel about dating in the team."

The dangling of team hinted that Batman wanted Robin to finish off the point. Leaning back, Robin blinked away the tears. "Yeah, I know. First, it always leads to trouble within and beyond the team. Second, they can use her to get to me…not like it hasn't been done before…and thirdly we're guys with issues."

"Exactly," nodded Batman.

Robin pushed his milkshake forward in order to give himself more room to prop his arms on the counter. Tilting his head, masked eyes locked themselves onto Batman. "But Star's different. She knows about my issues and flaws and helps me to get through them. Not to mention her and team are used to being targets to get to me and the other way around. And the rest of the team are ok with Star and I being together. So, I say screw your rules. I don't need to date with your permission."

Batman frowned, but while he tried to make it look like disappointment of an adult it came over as a pout on his child like face. "I know what I'm talking about and it won't end happy with you two, for I doubt you told her everything."

Robin sighed, rolling his eyes. With the pouting face, he couldn't take Batman seriously. It was already strange sitting here with his mentor and Fang of all people, drinking milkshakes while talking about girlfriends. It was so surreal.

The young boy next to him sighed loudly and pulled the milkshake even close. Eyes falling, they stared endlessly into the speckled counter. Robin sneaked a glance at his mentor, taking in the child that seemed so innocent then his older counterpart. It was hard to imagine Bruce ever being a child, but picturing him without the cowl on drinking the milkshake while swinging his legs gave the Boy Wonder a rare glimpse into the world of Bruce Wayne before the Incident.

Guilt began to stir in Robin. With that image in his head, he couldn't be mad at Bruce, not like this. "Hey, um…look you're dating Wonder Woman so we're kinda in the same boat."

Batman shot his milkshake out of his mouth. Wiping his mouth clean, he gaped at Robin. "What gave you that idea?" shouted the Detective incredulously. "I never said or signed anything!"

Robin couldn't help but smirk evilly. Well, well, well, it seemed Batman was contradicting his own rules. "Did you see the way Wonder Woman threw herself into the fight after the girls?"

"So? Girls get all defensive over the most little things," spoke the eight-year old with a faltering conviction.

"Look, Batman, Wonder Woman is all into you." Robin grinned as he felt himself move onto solid ground while a confused and scared look befell Batman's. Who would have thought he would be having a girl conversation with Bruce? Talk about a switch of roles. "I mean she's always at your side. And you didn't say anything to counter her."

A blush danced across the young man's face. Right then and there, Robin wanted to do a little victory at making the great Bat not only speechless but blush as well. Where was a camera when he needed it? Oh, what he would give to capture this Kodak moment.

"You're both crazy," mumbled Fang, sniffing slightly as he stared longingly at the milkshake, with the straw mocking him.

Robin and Batman turned as one to stare at him. "What?" they said in unison.

Fang turned his eyes up at the ceiling, "You're both dating heroines who are both aliens, princesses from other planets, totally independent minds, fly and can bend metal like it was grass." Nodding to him, the thief sighed, "And I thought I was insane for loving Kitten, who thankfully is mostly 99.9% human."

With nothing else to say and the two heroes still staring at him, Fang lunged forward towards the straw. The movement was too fast for the poor tube and it resigned itself to being encompassed by Fang's mouth. Blinking with shock, the thief immediately smiled at his victory. Finally, he could drink his milkshake!

Robin was the first to explode. "WHAT? Star ain't at all like Wonder Woman. She's sweet, soft spoken, eats bizarre disgusting food and has a pet called Slinkie!"

Batman followed suit, "Yeah and Wonder Woman is bossy, gets insulted easily, always in charge and wants to know everything!" Hopping off the stool, Batman marched by Fang, "Come on Robin, lets go!"

The Boy Wonder hopped off as well, glaring daggers at Fang, and snarled the last words, "We're not insane and importantly Bats and I aren't the same."

Marching away, the door chime signaled the departure of the heroes. Robin called over his shoulder to the chef, "Don't worry, we'll call the cops and they'll be here in five minutes."

"Th-thank you," stuttered the chef, blinking his eyes, mind trying to comprehend what had just happen. With the door shutting, he continued to stare at the entrance for the next couple of seconds.

It was only when a pained scream pierced the air. Jumping backwards, Roger shot his eyes down the counter where Fang was whimpering at the broken straw he accidentally bit in half in trying to suck up the milkshake. All the villain could do was watch as the remains of the straw sunk downwards into the thick pink liquid like a battleship sinking into the ocean blue. Life was cruel and it was mocking him in a pink milkshake.

"KITTEN!" whined Fang as police sirens with flashing blue and red lights filled the outside air.

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A/N: Sorry if Fang was a bit out of character, but I couldn't resist it with him not being able to drink his milkshake. Poor spider dude.


	30. Misunderstood

**Disclaimer**: I have contacted witches, warlocks and demons but to no avail I don't own the Titans.

**A/N**: Ok folks, have much asking from you the readers (thank Destenys Angel Pyra for putting the last nail in the coffin) I have written a sequel to the one-shot **_Understand._** For those that don't remember, that was my insight into the fight between Robin and Terra and their views on being Slade's apprentice and jealousy for each other. Well, here's the continuation of that story. It took me awhile to come up with something, considering I didn't plan on writing a sequel. But yesterday at dinner it hit me like a lightening bolt.

Warning: It get's a bit violent, not too bad but just want to warn you just in case. I've been taking a self-defense class and I couldn't but grin evilly that I finally could do a bit more in fighting moves. And by the way, if you can take one class learning how to defend yourself is important but it's tons of fun, especially being able to flip a guy on his back.

Oh and heads up, Terra is bit out of character at least to me.

**Misunderstood**

_All was quiet as a tense air settled into the pores of Jump City. Sitting cross-legged, a young girl dressed in a silver uniform floated through the barren streets on a mid-sized boulder. Crumbs of the Earth's crust clattered onto the ground below sending residents to hide deeper in the protection of their homes. The conquest of Jump City had been a success. _

_A scratchy cawing of a bird pulled cold blue eyes upwards to the right. Pale lips tightened into a thin line as a black crow zipped threw the buildings. Letting out a small sigh of relief, she pushed back her blond bangs. Phantom bruises ached from past fights. Barely half a day went by after her fight with Robin when the other Titans magically appeared from out of the fog._

_Beastboy lunged first forming into a Siberian tiger while Starfire and Raven kept raining blasts from above to keep her from floating away. Meanwhile, Cyborg was positioned somewhere on a roof, firing rounds and rounds of her rock ammo. The battle with the four remaining Titans was fierce. There was a drastic change when they fought together as a team. Apart they were easy to defeat, but like this…Terra felt a shudder run down her spine. They were a lethal team, knowing each others moves without talking. The Titans were a single unit. Even sweet, funny Beastboy almost had pinned her down before Slade bots appeared blasting the Titans into ruined buildings._

_And just liked they appeared the Titans disappeared into the shadows. From the amount of blood found, Slade surmised that they were severely wounded or dead: nothing to worry about. Yet, humiliation burned in her veins as Terra's eyes narrowed into slits lost in memory. Slade had punished her for losing to them. She tried pleaded her case that it was four against one, but her master snarled at saying that he taught her for such situations. After sulking into her room to tend to wounds inflected by those unforgiving gauntlets, Terra realized once more the true reason she was being punished. It was Robin. Always Robin. He had trained the Titans to fight like that, so even if he was gone, the Titans could still remain a force to be reckoned with._

"_It's not fair," hissed Terra into the wind as she continued to patrol the city. _

_That was seven days had passed since the last fight and Terra knew that she should be relaxed now. But rumors were whispering through abandoned buildings of glimpses of the Titans. Terra informed Slade but he merely shook it off, telling her that paranoia was sinking in. Yet, the young apprentice noticed the tense postures Slade held himself these past days, how he was becoming more and more short-tempered. Anything, even the smallest thing set him off._

"_And he says I'm the paranoid one," mumbled Terra as she pushed herself onto her feet, groaning as blood rushed back into her legs. "This-"_

"_Terra," Slade's dark voice growled harshly into her ear. _

_Terra winched slightly. "Yes Master."_

"_Pay attention, now is not the time to daydream."_

_The sharp tone drowned her in terror. Slade was angry and she had no clue what for. For a second she wanted to yell at him to tell what was wrong and then it all came with a loud click when she saw a flash of a black cape dash through a broken window._

_Spinning around, Terra scanned the rooftop but no one was there. Lifting herself higher into the air, the young villain glanced about the city, but nothing greeted her._

"_What is it?" hissed Slade._

"_I thought I saw something."_

_The deep voice snapped, "What?"_

_Swallowing, Terra knew now was not the time to mess with her master. "A black cape. But it can't be, I killed Robin and even if he was around, why didn't he fight with the Titans?"_

_There was a brief silence, too long for Terra's comfort before something shot her dread into outright terror. A deep, inhuman chuckle vibrated into her very soul._

"_Clever, clever, clever." As if sensing he was on speaker, Slade's darkness that Terra felt was touching her despite being halfway across the city vanished as he spoke in an almost annoyed tone. "Stay-"_

_A loud shriek exploded in her ear. Screaming Terra, fell onto her knees, eyes watering as she clawed painfully trying to get a hold of her earpiece. The feedback and static was driving nails into her skull. She barely felt her perch rock back as if something landed behind her. Turning painfully, Terra felt her eyes widened, let tears spill out as a fist slammed into her temple. Collapsing in heap, the villain could only roll her head whimpering at the feedback continued to pound in her head. She felt something grab her by her chest armor before feeling the brush of cold material against her sore ear._

_The screeching faded away leaving echoes to vibrate in her head. Shaking her head to clear away the blinding light, Terra blindly rocked her perch. She heard a quiet umph and felt another vibration as her attacker hung for dear life on the edge. Rising shakily onto her feet, Terra blinked away the tears and staggered to where she saw green fingers clutching into her rock base._

_Face darkening in rage, she glared down trying to hide her surprise when a masked white eyes stared straight up at her. "R-Robin?"_

_Swinging himself slightly, Robin pulled upwards using the momentum to pull himself up. Body crunched upwards, the Titan hero let go of the ledge. Terra stared amazed at seeing him for the briefest of seconds hover in mid-air. This was insane. Where they sure Robin was just a human?_

_Then gravity kicked in bringing reality crashing the surreal moment. Robin pulled his arm back and swung forward, his punch slamming near her nose. Terra skidded across as Robin landed back onto the platform. Arms failing out, she couldn't regain her balance and fell off the ledge. With a wave of her arm, the earthmover called forth a large piece of rock, landing heavily onto her feet._

_Glancing up, she focused her powers on her old perch sending it crashing into a nearby building. Yet, Robin leapt into the air, black cape bellowing, and the dull moonlight from the crescent moon making his narrowed eyes appear to be curved slightly upwards._

_His leg shot out with deadly accuracy landing a loud crack onto two thin arms. Terra slid backwards from the force. Landing in a squat, Robin swept his legs destabilizing the girl's solid footing. Spinning and rising at the same time, he cupped his hands and slammed around Terra's sensitive ears._

_A quiet gasp of pain escaped through Terra's lips as her sensitive ears ached as pressure pressed down upon them. Robin didn't waste time and slammed his head into hers sending her flying backwards once more. The dance continued. Terra would save herself just in time before Robin flew into another quick attack. They moved rock by rock downwards till Terra flipped sending a tidal wave of debris at Robin before landing softly on the ground._

_Wiping the blood from a gash on her forehead, Slade's apprentice bit back an annoyed growl as Robin staggered forward. The leader of the Titans wore the familiar red and green uniform. Bitterness burned in Terra's mind as her revelation of wanting Robin's life flared in the back of her mind. "Didn't I knock enough sense into you, last time?" _

_Robin shook his head, wiping blood away from a gash on his forehead. "No cause I realized something Terra."_

_The cold voice made Terra shiver involuntarily. Something was off with Robin. This wasn't the same man she had fought last time. "What?"_

"_Beware the green-eyed monster."_

"_What?" A startled look fell over her face. "Did you lose a few brain cells there, bird boy?"_

_All that was a response was a slim metal disk flying straight at her. The last thing Terra recalled from the next minutes of full intense fighting was that the exploding disk had a sinister S embedded on its surface._

**Terra:**

My body groans in utter protest. It feels like every bone is broken, every muscle pulled while my head pounds away like a jackhammer. The warm ground underneath my tattered uniform feels welcoming. I can still the earth sending its' unyielding strength into me. Despite everything that has happened in my short life, I knew I could always count on the earth and my powers to pull me through.

At least that's what I thought.

"You're a coward, you know that Slade." Robin's stern voice is not loud but clear enough to vibrate through the chamber.

Raising myself onto my forearms, I peered from underneath my wild bangs. Robin and my master stood a few feet away, locked in a heated stare. Slade stood like a statue, arms folded behind his back, his form towering over Robin. Yet, Robin stood fast, his own back straight staring right back at Slade as if they were eye-level.

I swallow, fear dancing in my blue eyes. Lying on my stomach, too weak to do anything. Flashes of my fight played quickly in my mind. On the street, I quickly turned the tide of the fight, forcing Robin into retreat. I followed him through falling buildings dead set on getting rid of him once and for all.

_The next thing I knew, we were in a subway and I couldn't help but smile. Robin was going to die here, today, by my hand. And then finally, I would get the respect I earned._

_Raising my arms, I paused when I heard Robin tsk. "Silly girl, do you know where we are?"_

_I frown to hide the uneasiness at how easily those words sounded like a familiar purr. "Yeah, in a subway, underground. You know, you're not that smart considering this is my domain."_

_Robin let a dark smirk appear on his lips, "Take a closer look."_

_I sighed, feeling out with my powers. It was then I noticed the fault lines and hairline cracks. The earth around me was unstable. If I used my powers, I would bring the whole tunnel collapsing upon us. Grinding my teeth, I lowered my arms. "Fine." _

_So Robin wanted an even fight, I could still kick his ass. A sad look seemed to flash on the pale face before sinking into an emotionless mask. "Slade's using you, Terra."_

_Disbelief erupted in her; really they were going to have this talk again? "Don't you dare, Robin."_

_Robin didn't heed her words, taking small steps forward. "It's the suit. It's way too different from mine and the electrical feedback did more than disrupt your communication device."_

_Terra bawled her fists, glowing slightly golden in the light. "Shut up."_

_The smirk bloomed into a full-fledge grin. "Guess we now know who he trusts more."_

_Focusing her power on the ground, Terra was going to make herself a little bird sandwich. In a blink of an eye, a red substance wrapped itself around her chest, pinning her arms around her._

_Robin lowered his arm, a glipse of a an X shadowed by his palm. "Someone didn't do their homework." Pulling out a small round device, Terra's eyes widened when she saw Robin inching backwards towards a small maintenance vent on the side of the tunnel. _

"_You should have collapsed the tunnel." With that Robin pressed the detonator before jumping into vent. Red balls of flames erupted all around Terra. Eyes squeezing shut, she heard the earth crumble all around her. It had been a trap. As the rocks rained down upon her, instinct broke through cocooning her in a protective shield as massive boulders buried her alive._

The last thing thought I had was that Slade was going to kill me. And now lying on the floor in Slade's hideout, I wondered why Robin dug me out just to drag me back here.

"Robin," hissed a dark creature locked behind its' metal cage.

"You heard right, you are a coward."

I shivered as Slade's rage trickled into the room. No one called Slade a coward. Was Robin suicidal?

"I know what the suit's for. You hardwired it, placed controlling chips in those metal hairpieces to control her powers." For the first time, Robin let rage take front stage. Stepping forward, he growled in an inhuman voice. "Violating a girl like that, you're sick."

I couldn't hold back the gasp, catching Slade's eye. Rising shakily onto my feet, blue eyes locked onto steel gray. "What?"

Slade pressed down on a button located on his wrist. With a flick of his arm, the we waited in silence for something to happen. I pushed back my annoying blond hair feeling the metal hair clips were missing. Slade's eye narrowed into a mere slit.

A dry laugh tugged my attention back to Robin. Robin held in his palms the hair clips as well as what looked like chip. "What? Did you truly think I would return her to you intact? Slade," Robin paused letting the mastermind's undivided attention focus back on him. "You taught me better than that."

Tilting his hand, Robin dropped the material on the ground before taking a small side step crushing them with the heel of his steel boot.

Wrapping my arms around a bruised chest, I clung to the hope that maybe Robin was wrong. Slade took me in when no one else would. He helped me hone my powers. But the silence did little to ease me. And in the back of my mind, I felt hope stir in me. Maybe some one out there understood that I didn't want this life. That maybe there was still time to get out of this nightmare. "Sl-Slade?"

"Robin is telling the truth, Terra." Slade shifted himself so he could keep an eye on Robin but look me at the same time. "The suit was designed for me to gain control and help you use your powers."

Shame burned in my veins. Blinking back tears, I felt the air shift. "You wanted to control my body?"

"Don't be silly girl, I wanted to control your powers."

The dead serious, indifferent tone snapped something in me. Without even thinking, I broke free a large piece of rock and flung it into Slade. The villain went flying backwards, crashing into the wall.

"You gave me hope that I could control my powers!" I yelled, letting my anger take total control, "But I was just a tool for you!"

Raising my arms, I was dead set on making the wall smash onto Slade's fallen form when a gloved hair gripped me hard. Turning, I stared deep into Robin's narrowed eyes placing my hand over his. What was he doing? I thought he would want me to finish this. "Let me go!"

Robin tilted his head downwards, "No. He's mine and mine alone." Without so much a warning, Robin shifted his hand so it held onto my forearm while his other curled over my fingers. Then with a single step, he pushed downwards as he drove my arm towards my chest. With no room to move, I screamed in pain as my wrist snapped crashing onto my knees.

Through blurry eyes I peered upwards taking in the sorrowful look but there was something shimmering the background. Robin was happy to see me like this on my knees before him. Swallowing, I glance over his shoulder spotting Slade's single gray eye locked onto Robin shining with twisted pride.

My breath caught in my throat as everything clicked into place. Slade was proud. Slowly I returned my gaze onto those unforgiving eyes feeling totally hopeless. I couldn't help but think this was what Robin must have felt when I towered over him in triumph.

Lowering my head, I stared into the ground the outside world fading out of existence, trying to find solace in my only constant companion. I understood everything now with clarity. I was never truly Slade's Apprentice. Not once. I was a puppet...with its strings cut off.

Robin was and always will be Slade's.

"_He's mine and mine alone_."

Slade would always be Robin's.

And I had no one. I had destroyed the only chance I had for family. Now, I was alone with a madman and a vengeful falling hero. I couldn't take it anymore. As my world shattered into a million pieces, I let the rocks encase me in a tomb protecting me from the horrors I have committed. I misunderstood everything I was taught from my parents and Beastboy.

Like a deaf idiot, I am paying the consequences of it with an implosion of my powers.

**Robin:**

Terra shifted, pushing herself away painfully at my feet, blue eyes blank. Her body had yet to heal itself from being buried alive. Oh yes, I had planned to lead her there from the start. Picking up weapons that I still had from my Red X adventure and Slade's own weapons, I knocked down the apprentice with ease.

Part of me shivered in fear as I remembered the dark feeling of happiness as Terra realized the trap I had laid for her. It had been like second nature falling into the darkness, letting my words purr out of my mouth feeling only hatred. This dark creature I had unleashed was scarring the small voice that cried out to remember who I was. But as I looked down taking in the golden S on her chest plate, something overrode all senses. Bending down, I reached out and ripped off the symbol, clenching the metal S so hard that warm blood began to trickle through my fingers.

"M_ine and mine alone." _My words vibrated through my head. Certainty hardened itself into a black diamond. I was Slade's apprentice long before her. She was nothing but a spoiled girl with powers. A lifetime sentence should be enough punishment for her.

As if hearing my curse, the ground quaked. Taking in a deep, stuttering breath I watch in awe as a stone tomb encompasses the pitiful form of Terra. Before the earth had swallowed her up, for the briefest of seconds I want to kick her, send her flying. She doesn't deserve to be pitied. Terra had destroyed my city, caused the deaths and injury of innocent people. And the Titans…

Fists clenched at my side. When I found them battered in a building, I quickly took them and carried them to safety. They are still healing the last time I checked up on them, clinging to life at the local hospital. Pushing their battered bodies to the back of my mind, I frown at the immortalized structure Terra had created for herself. The broken girl wasn't the problem anymore.

Her master though…

Turning, I pushed myself onto my feet. The cuts, scraps and bruises that I earned from her multitude of attacks pulled at me but I ignored them. I can crash and burn after I'm done. This is a fight I know I won't be leaving in one piece.

Taking in Slade's impressive form I threw the S with the precision of a marksman, making it land in with a thud at Slade's feet. A deep secret I had was that I always felt a bit relieved that Slade wasn't as sick as some of the criminals in Gotham. It had been refreshing. But this uniform change had crossed the boundary.

I knew what it was like to not be in control of your body, your mind screaming in horror as your fists pounded into an innocent victim all thanks to Poison Ivy, Mad Hatter and Scarecrow. Now he too has done the unthinkable. For some odd reason, I should have been like this with the blackmail and nanobites, but back then I still had choices, I controlled my body. But this…I lung with a roar and fly into an attack.

Punches blocked. Sweat dripping into my eyes. Kicks lashing out. Heart pounding in my chest. It wasn't until Slade caught my fist pulling me towards him that I realized with a buzzing mind that we had been fighting for several minutes straight.

"I must say, I think we've broken a new record Robin," purred Slade, but beneath the mask I heard the slight hitch in breath. The villain was panting. He never pants. "You truly are the one."

Then the fight was over as Slade drove a fist straight into my stomach, curving upward, till his fist rubbed against my rib cage. The wind knocked out of me, carrying with it all my vengence. I crashed onto my knees, doubling over. Slade reached out, yanking my head upwards with a powerful thrust. A hammer fist met my nose sending a loud crack to ricochet in my head as blood pooled into my mouth.

Letting go, my head rolled slightly to the side, blood running out of my nose spilling onto my pale lips. Slade had held back. I should have known. But still, as Slade cupped my blood stained chin tilting my head backwards to make me gurgle in my own blood, our eyes locked. In between the black dots in my vision I realized something with pain filled clarity.

I was right where Slade wanted me, at his feet bleeding and resigned to my fate. Oh, I knew my eyes shimmered with my hidden yearning. The moment I called him a coward I knew I wasn't leaving this place as the same person who walked in, dragging a barely conscious Terra behind him. This whole ordeal and almost losing the Titans made me aware that the war between us would only continue causing more people like Terra or Jump to be caught in the middle. I had to stop it. I wanted out.

Yet, ever since I realized how jealous I was of Terra something had shifted in me. This embracing of Slade's teachings was pulling me down a dark hole and I couldn't escape it…didn't want to escape.

For the first time, I was the one in control. I was all-powerful with all the cards in my hands. I, a mere human, triumphed over a meta-human without any help. Then holding my own against Slade before being taken down after so long was a dream come true. The Titans were holding me back and only Slade seemed to have the key that set me free from my cage. Coughing out blood, I took in a shuddering breath, begging for Slade with my posture to take me now. I would only yield to him this one time in the mist of a fight. I had beaten the new apprentice to reclaim my title, so please let that be enough.

I'm yours Slade, not a puppet like the earth bender.

I see now that Terra was just a test to make realize my mistakes.

You are mine, a wealth of knowledge at my disposal.

Please take me from this thing I have become. Please forgive me. Like a blind fool, I misunderstood everything you have taught me, Slade. I want to feel this rush forever.

Damn the consequences.

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A/N: There ya go. This has got be my one of my longest one-shots (9 pages!) As for the ending, I planned on something 'happy ending'. I didn't want one with both Terra and Robin as Slade's because there are a much of stories out there like that and the way I approached it was that this was a battle to the death. No compromises. But still the more I wrote, I kept changing my mind till I finally felt happy with this one. Hopefully you guys like it too.

Take care and if you have anymore ideas like if you want another sequel or insights, let me know and I'll hopefully get around to writing it.


	31. More importantly a father

Disclaimer: Wow, I updated. Can you believe it? And guess what got me back, flipping through the channels and spotting the 'Apprentice' episode. What can I say, that episode is just pure inspiration for me. And there was something always bugging me about that episode. Where was Batman? How would Batman react? Now, I know it's a Teen Titans series. And I've read a few good fics dealing with the issue, but I wanted to do a different approach. So here we go.

**More importantly a father**

A soft breeze blew through the tiny room. The chilling air was a welcomed bliss from the humidity of the thunderstorm that clashed around the tower a few hours ago. He glided into the newspaper littered walls and clattered desktops. The computer hums softly in the background enticing an urge to hit a single key and gain access. Information was to his taking. But if he knew the leader, it was a false trap. And did he know the leader, inside and out. Or so he thought till twenty-four hours ago.

His massive shadow spilled like ink upon the clutter. An unrecognizable mass of broken rangs, paper, pencils and files hinted at the rest of the ice-berg that lay underneath the surface of the hero's true personality. Gazing upwards, he took in the red-circles, lines, highlights and crosses miraculously making out the scattered pattern. Finding such little clues and random connections might appear to a psychologist as someone who suffered from suspicion, seeing conspiracy theories everywhere he lived and breathed. But this stranger only saw a budding talent, someone who had taken his lessons and was excelling out in the field. The Titan's leader was an unknown prodigy, a child genius living in a world where he had to both excel and suppress his talents. It wouldn't do the team any good to have unwanted attraction.

Yet it happened anyway. Irony, it seemed, had a cruel sense of humor.

Thousands of post-it notes gleamed like yellow cat eyes. Black words screamed out who was Slade, where was he, what did he want and the ultimate question: why. A black glove stretched out, fingers running down the ice-cold metal of two-toned mask. Black and orange were equal, two opposites making a whole. Except the balance was off with one mistake; there was only one eye. An eye curved into a vicious glare that would have made Jason from Friday the 13th quake in his boots.

An irritated grunt was barely suppressed. He had hung around his partner for too long. The boy's habits were still ingrained in him, despite the separation. Pulling back his hand, the man clad all in black matched his own horrific glare only reserved for two people Joe Chill and the Joker. But now, he added another person to the list: Slade Wilson also known as Deathstroke the Terminator. Oh, he'd recognized that single-eyed mask anywhere. The last time, he saw the mercenary the man wore blue and orange, massive orange boots covering the thick blue armor complimented by a belt of ammo, rifle in his hand and a sword strapped to his back. He had to admit this slight alteration was more effective. Glory gone to simple had made Slade disappear for years in the underworld. Till now…

A whimper pulled his attention away from the shrine. Masked eyes fell onto the small boy lying in a tangle of sheets. The pale forehead beaded with sweat as a toned leg kicked out at an unseen adversary. The man crept forward soaking in his partner, no matter what the boy said or the public declared. Crouching down, he watched quietly as Robin tossed his head to the side, face tightening in pain.

Pity surprised him. He had expected to feel utter disappointment, unabashed fury and most of all parental protectiveness to the fullest. Oh, he had seen the tape. Nothing got past Bruce Wayne without him noticing it, especially when it dealt with the stealing of weapons. At first, he was calm already expecting some stupid villain to show its face on the security cameras. But the main cameras had been destroyed with the skill of an intelligent thief. Thankfully, they didn't know about the backup cameras he had installed for extra precaution. Jump City might be the Titans city and he might trust them, but some things were better left in the supervision of adults not children.

And sitting a darkness much like this in Gotham, deep within a cave few ever set foot in, he watched as the true events unfolded like a nightmare. Distress clashed with curiosity. A part of him wanted to spring up from the chair and rush to his ward's aid but the other won out. Logic rooted him to the spot. This was what Robin wanted, to have his own city and be his own man. And that meant learning from his mistakes…even if these mistakes were turning into a thief. Oh, how he hoped even dared to pray that was the case.

Watching Robin wear the colors of a villain, fighting against the very team he assembled and stood up for in his regular check-ups was slicing his heart. He never thought he would feel such grief tear a hole deep inside of him than that night when his parents were murdered. But he was wrong. The great detective misread the clues and this was what happened. Robin crossed the line, destroying everything in his path in a thin laser-red line. Did the ex-hero know about the symbolism? Did he think of the irony that not only was he destroying his team but his other family in one strike? Had he truly underestimated Slade's wickedness?

Yes, he knew that Slade knew who he truly was. And to use that information to get to Robin was sickening. Crouching down onto the bed, he watched Robin's eyes flash open behind the mask. Even if Robin was back to the Titans, he needed to be reassured that his protégé wouldn't cross the line again. That he wouldn't have to drag him back to Gotham, away from his friends and take away his identity. It would kill Robin and himself.

The tense breathing and frozen fear pulled his attention to the task at hand. Robin must have felt the small dip but was lost in his horror-film memories. Reaching out, black fingers gently removed the white-mask revealing trembling blue diamonds underneath. Blinking back tears as fresh air made contact knocked the leader out of his stupor. Shaking in deep breaths, Robin eyed the large dark figure at his bed. His face flashed with fear as he sought to make out his companion. Underneath though, the stranger read the plea:

Don't be Slade.

"B-Batman," rasped out a hoarse voice that shouldn't belong to a teenage boy.

The Dark Knight gave a curt nod. "Robin."

Immediately those blue eyes sunk low, cheeks blazing in embarrassment. "Wh-"

"You called. I came."

Robin's eyes shot back up, sad relief sparkling in them. "I didn't…know it would work…but…"

"You did good, Robin." Batman's voice remained level, but the small head tilt translated his pride. Even if Robin didn't know for a fact, he would have guessed how precautious Batman was towards his weaponry. Hence why, at every chance he got, Robin carefully let himself be seen at spots where he assumed the planted cameras where. It was his desperate cry underneath Slade's tyranny for his ex-mentor's aid.

"I-I was…" Robin swallowed thickly, glancing down again at his twisting hands. A haunted pain aged the leader well beyond his years. Sadness tugged at the other man's mind as he took in the ancient look. Not for the first time, he wondered if he had done the right thing in taking in such a young boy under his wing.

"Slade was out of my league…the Titans didn't stand a chance…they could've died…" Shame shuddered in the thin frame. "You were my only help. But afterwards, I began to think that it didn't work…that maybe Slade…" Fear now blazed blindly before him. Whatever happened during Robin's stint as Slade's apprentice, it was against his young partner's wishes. Unspeakable horrors occurred and Robin suffered through them all. No. Batman's nightmare didn't come true. Robin hadn't turn. Instead it was another nightmare. One he feared would happen; surpassing his fear of Robin dying.

It was the fact that someone like Slade would use Robin's innocence, his glowing goodness towards all humanity and his talents against him. Make that shining person dull under cruel circumstances. To break Robin till nothing was left. It was a fate worse than death. Inhaling deeply, Batman knew what had to be done. He might not be a boy scout like Superman, but his time with Robin made him something more important. It made him a father and Robin needed a father more than a mentor.

"It worked, Robin." Reaching up, Batman pulled down his cowl. Before him, he no longer saw Robin the Titan's leader or his partner. No. All he saw was his ward…his son. The lost, grieving nine-year-old he held in his arms deep in the night showing him that he was not alone.

Robin's blue eyes shot up, those diamonds cracking as they took in the chiseled face. Dark blue eyes shone back with sympathy instead of the disappointment he feared about facing. Without pause, he launched himself at Bruce. As that small frame clung desperately around him begging for forgiveness. Bruce encircled his own arms around Dick holding him gently as he did that first night, forgiveness given without hesitancy.

"It's over, Dick." He whispered gently into the sweat-soaked hair. Dick whimpered, his body collapsing against the blackness finding solace in the cave of the cloak. Tears ran down his face as the horrors that Slade wrought on his young body, mind and soul came pouring out of him. And as he mourned for innocence lost, a naivety that somehow survived Gotham but not under Slade's hands, Robin buried himself deeper into the strong body of his only remaining father. They might have left on bad terms, but when he needed him the most, Batman came with no elaborate entrance. For that, Robin found himself grateful for it. The Titans didn't—couldn't see him as a wreck but Batman could.

Bruce could hold him tight and help mend his broken soul. Just like all those nights ago when he sat all alone on a bench gazing out of his new room in the scary mansion yearning to see his parent's faces again, to hear their voices and feel their love.

"It's over," The low voice rumbled with a love that was rarely seen to anyone but Alfred and Dick. "Shhhh, I'm here. Dick. I'm here."

As another wave rolled through Dick, Bruce curled over him as if protecting him from the outside world. It was enough for Dick to be himself, to let go of everything shielded underneath the black cape. Resting his head gently on the raven hair barely seen, he continued to hold Dick tightly afraid that if he let go the boy would shatter into a million pieces. Blinking painfully, Batman gazed upwards onto the window. There faintly, he could barely make out the reflection of Slade's mask. Finally, something went according to plan. Blackening rage boiled in his veins towards the mercenary.

No one messed with his son.

No one.

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A/N: Hope you enjoyed it!!! That one scene I was describing where Bruce holds Dick after the incident at the circus is from the episode 'Robin's Reckoning' in the Batman Animated Series. It's such a touching scene and as I wrote this one, it popped in my mind. Well, that's about. Take care!!


	32. Chapter 32

**Disclaimer**: Don't own nothing.

**A.N:** It's been what years since I last posted anything in this. And well, this is the last drabble and I shall close the book on this one. It's been a fun ride. I guess I should also explain the last drabble a little. I'm getting into Young Justice, and in short I'm loving it. Well, I had a thought about what if Young Justice met the Teen Titans. Now I know that's kinda impossible via Cartoon World because of the whole continuity and Dick Grayson being in both. So, this is like a meshing of Cartoon and Comic Book, in that Tim is Robin. And that's about it. LOL. So enjoy :)

**The Next Generation**

The five of them stand on the cusp of change. It's the passing of a torch, who they were standing tall in front while those who they will be stand with pride off to the side. The long shadows of the setting sun paints the gleaming floor with deep hues of orange and red. The warmth fills the lobby of the new headquarters making the younger heroes fidget uncomfortably. The air seems to float with tiny dust particles. It feels like its confetti and how if they were doing this before the public, the streets would be littered with a cheering crowd and a rainbow sky of colored paper. Instead, there's a silence broken by the occasional soft clearing of a throat.

Grayson gazes to his left where Starfire stands quietly, her hair almost like a halo of fire in the blinding sunset. Her green eyes flicker to him and there's a hearth there, a steady friendship full of love and trust. She's just as tall as him, and her new tight purple outfit hugs her perfectly. Starfire has become a woman before his very eyes and her maturity and motherly intuition has only blossomed alongside her powers.

Next to her, Beastboy leans back and winks at him. He's grown himself, tall but still slim within the folds of his Doom Patrol uniform. His ears flicker with friendly agitation, eyes bouncing between him and the others. He still has a little way to go, but Grayson finds he doesn't want Beastboy to lose that childish manner. His youngest friend has become the much needed spirit in the group, a light in the darkness that reminds them of what they are fighting for and to simply enjoy life.

Shifting, Grayson blinks quickly to his right, where the remainders of his original team members stand quietly. Raven is elegant in her white robe, her long purple hair swept back in a lose manner that cuts away from her gothic demeanor. Her own slim form peeks out and speaks of how much she's filled into her body, finding an inner strength of who she is. The confidence is a quiet hum, yet as her violet eyes peer at him, it shines forth. Her support is there and he feels a tiny brush against his mind to go ahead. That Beastboy and Kid Flash will get agitated pretty soon here and launch themselves towards the kitchen.

He tilts his head back and looks at his last friend. Cyborg stands sure and strong, a general almost in his posture. One who demands respect despite his appearance which peeks through the dress pants and white shirt. The ingrained robotic parts shine in the dying light like medals upon a soldier's dress blues. Arms folded behind his back, the chiseled face turns slightly and Grayson soaks in the lined face of a man who's been through much but has a clad-iron will that matches his mechanical make-up. A red eye flares in the light but it's the steel blue that Grayson locks onto. A tiny twitch of support and it's a go.

Focusing back to the group in front, Grayson takes in the six young superheroes. Their new teammate Artemis stands slightly to the side, uncomfortable and not really willing to sign on completely. She relishes her freedom, much like her predecessor Speedy, whose out on some covert mission, his presence sorely missed. "We all come from different backgrounds, for different reasons and motives." Artemis shuffles on her feet, glancing to the side before her shoulders slump as if a weight's been lifted if only briefly.

Smirking, Grayson folds his arms across the blue V that decorates the front of his black uniform. He locks eyes on the shy Martian, whose fingers are curling into her cape, the coloring of her uniform shifting from black to purple to blue. Stretching out his smile, he lets the warmth that fills the room blanket over his words.

"So, today, we stand before you not as your superiors."

He watches as M'gann relaxes and he moves onto the next member. The young man in a jeans and black shirt with the red S scowls at him, arms folded over his chest. He doesn't even flinch or break eye contact; instead he seems to goad it. Grayson tries to fight back a chuckle for this one will be a hand full.

"We are not here to hold your hand or dictate orders."

The gruff nod of agreement from Superboy and Grayson feels as if he just diffused a bomb. Moving on, he can't help but shake his head at one of the younger team members. In his yellow uniform, goggles propped on his red hair, the boy bounces back and forth on the balls of his feet.

"Team work doesn't come easy. It will take time and patience and sometimes you might want to tear each other apart."

Kid Flash rolls his eyes but seems to sag into place for the time being. Staring now in front of him, Grayson takes in the one who bears his name even if the uniform colors are different. The raven-hair kid looks serious, face devoid of any of the snarky attitude he inherited from him.

"But over time, through trials that will test your strength, resolve and loyalty, the bonds forged are one of a kind. You will become family to each other, brothers and sisters even though you are not related by blood."

Robin quirks the corner of his lips and Grayson lets himself return the tiny smirk. Locking onto the leader of new team, he takes in the lean form of a young warrior who stands ready for action. Webbed hands slightly lax at his side, the red and blue swimsuit compliment the broad shoulders for which the weight of the team will rest on. Grayson finds that they couldn't have picked a better leader.

He waits till Aqualad fixes silver eyes onto him. "We are here to help you as well, look at us like your older siblings. Our doors are always open for you, if you ever need a break or just need to rant about the Justice League."

The older superheroes who stand to the side all lock their eyes on him. Superman though smiles, while Martin the Manhunter merely blinks. Green Arrow's shoulders are shaking lightly from light chuckles. Meanwhile Flash huffs and scratches the back of his head, his own fidgety nature kicking in. Aquaman sighs, shaking his head and sending a quick look at Batman. Batman though is merely stone, no expression lining his cowled face. Black Canary, with a silent Red Tornado, motions with her eyes to get back on track.

Sending a flirty smirk at her, earning an eye roll in response, Grayson turns back onto the young group. "We, once known as the Teen Titans now simply called the Titans welcome you, Young Justice. May you kick as many villainous butts as you can and maybe on day you'll beat our record."

Incredulous, annoyed looks rain on him as Starfire slams an elbow into his side. Grunting slightly, he rubs his side, letting out a light laugh. "Fine, fine. Welcome to the family. Now, how about we eat?" With a smack and rub on his black and blue gloves, the ceremony is over.

There's applause amidst the whoops of relief and joy. Beastboy and Kid Flash zoom to the food table right behind Flash. Superboy and M'gann walk side by side towards their respective mentors. Superman finally is warming up to him, even gives the young clone a pat on the shoulder. Raven and Cyborg gather Aqualad and the trio goes to mingle with the rest of the superheroes, who are all making their way towards the kitchen wanting to at least get some food before the Flashes and Beastboy eat it all.

Starfire squeezes his arm, leaning into whisper. "Good job," before nabbing Artemis and starting a conversation with her as they join the rest of the group, leaving three remaining in the lobby.

Robin steps up to him, letting go of the serious face and letting that playful brat shine through. Really, Grayson muses, he was a bad influence on his little brother. Holding up a hand, Robin pretends to wipe a tear from his masked eyes. "That was such a moving speech, Nightwing. Oh my god, that was like Oscar worthy."

In a flash, Nightwing lunges forward to lock his arm around Robin's neck and pulls him in close and hard. Raising his other hand, he digs his fist lightly into the thick hair. "What was that? I didn't quite hear you the first time."

Robin is fidgeting in his grasp, trying to escape the playful rough housing. "Well maybe if you took the batarangs out of your ears, you would have heard me."

"Oh is something wrong with your ears? Do I need to clean them?"

By now, Robin is kicking at him yet Nightwing dances lightly away, dragging Robin with him across the darkening floor. Night is spilling into the sky with navy colors, the stars piercing through the black veil.

"Let me go! Nightwing, come on! Dude, I thought you're supposed to be the mature one here!"

"Yeah, well I'm also your older brother and older brothers are given the privileges to torment their young brothers."

"I swear to God if you do it, I'm going to—"

Sighing, Nightwing breaks the hold, laughing as Robin tumbles a few feet away. "Fine, fine."

Robin scowls at him as he tries to fix his cape. "This ain't the Cave."

"Wow," teases Nightwing, "Ever the Detective." He's grinning ear to ear as the younger one flusters before him like a puffed up bird.

"Nightwing. Robin."

Batman's voice pierces softly in the dark room, nightfall completely engulfing the outside world. The two wards peer up and take in the barely outlined form of Batman etched from the soft golden light emitting from the dining room down the hall. Their mentor and father stares down at them with masked eyes soft at the edges. Yet, it's the hint of a smile, shining with the remaining warmth from the sunset that makes them fidget awkwardly yet humbled at the same time. Batman rarely lets Bruce peek under the hood.

"If you two have such energy, why don't you go patrol the city?" And it's there, the hidden message that he's proud of them both.

Nightwing peers around the older man towards where the party lies, the laughter and cheering slowly trickling in. Next to him, Robin leans to the side, eyes staring out with eagerness over the city.

Batman lets out a quiet sigh, another rarity and the two glance at each other before fixating back at him. "Though it would be a shame to let Alfred's pecan pie go to waste."

"Alfred made—"

"Pecan pie?"

"Yes," turning Batman begins to walk out of the room. In the reflection of a window, he catches Nightwing and Robin move as one towards him in perfect sync.

Robin jabs an elbow at his older brother, "Since when did you even like pecan pie?"

Jabbing back Nightwing snaps back, "Since before you did."

As his two wards fall in step behind, Batman finds himself relaxing slightly into the comforting presence of having the two at his side.

"Well I bet it's only because of Starfire. God, you two need to stop with the PDA." Robin's voice is light and cocky as always, that teasing laugh sneaking out.

Batman feels as if he should warn Robin what's going to happen, but really the boy should know by now. And in three, two, one…

Smack on the back of the head.

"Ow!"

Score one for the eldest and Nightwing knows it, his voice teasing even more. "Talk about out of practice. What? Are Spoiler and Batgirl too distracting for you?"

"Wha—" There's a tumbling pause of denial than indignation flutters out. "I am not out of practice!"

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not."

"Yes."

"No."

The brotherly bickering starts and somehow Batman finds that he wouldn't want it any other way, even if the Bat Cave feels crowded at times.

* * *

A.N. Thanks everyone for reading these and all the support :) Take care y'all.


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